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GENERAL   SHERIDAN   AT   FIVE   FORKS. 


Copyright,  1883, 
BY  ESTES   AND   LAURIAT. 


jfrankliu 

RAND,   AVERY,   AND   COMPANY, 
BOSTON. 


GIFT 


TO    MY   NEPHEW 

CHARLIE    CHENEY    HYDE, 

FOR   WHOSE  SAKE  ALL   BOYS  ARE  DEAR, 

IN   THE   HOPE   THAT   HE   MAY   SO   LOVE    HIS   COUNTRY  AS 

TO    LIVE   ACCORDING   TO    ITS   LAWS,    AND,    IF 

NEED    BE,    TO    TAKE    UP    ARMS 

IN    ITS   DEFENCE, 

2Tf)ts  Book  is  affecttonatelg  insmbeto 

BY 

AUNT    EMMA. 


136 


PREFACE. 


IN  writing  this  little  book,  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the 
author  to  tell  the  story  of  the  late  civil  war  so  simply, 
that  it  might  interest  a  class  of  youthful  readers  not  hitherto 
reached.  For  this  reason,  and  in  order  to  present  a  clearer 
picture  of  the  events  narrated,  it  has  been  found  necessary 
to  describe  many  battles  in  definite  outline  merely,  omitting 
thus,  with  however  much  regret,  the  mention  of  many  names 
which  would  have  adorned  the  page  on  which  they  were 
written.  All  the  statements,  however,  which  have  been  here 
made,  have  been  carefully  and  even  repeatedly  verified ; 
and  in  consulting  authorities  the  accounts  given  by  the 
earlier  have  been  compared  with  those  given  by  the  more 
recent  writers  on  their  stirring  theme. 

The  author  has  great  pleasure  in  acknowledging  here  her 
obligations  to  the  several  friends  whose  kindness  has  greatly 
aided  her  in  her  self-imposed  task,  —  a  task  the  greater  in 
the  responsibility  it  involves,  for  that,  even  after  the  lapse 
of  twenty  years,  there  are  yet  living  so  many  personal  wit 
nesses  who  bear  with  an  honorable  pride  the  scars  of  the 

conflict  in  which  they  shared. 

vii 


viii  Preface. 

While  it  is  not  possible  in  these  brief  lines  to  mention 
the  names  of  all  whose  memories  of  the  war  have  thus 
rendered  her  aid,  the  author  desires  to  acknowledge  in 
particular  her  obligations  to  Lieutenant- General  Philip  H. 
Sheridan,  who  with  great  kindness  placed  at  her  disposal  sev 
eral  private  papers  relating  to  his  personal  services  in  the  war. 
To  General  William  T.  Sherman  and  to  Major-General  O. 
O.  Howard  also,  she  is  indebted  for  transcribing  incidents 
for  her  use  in  this  connection.  The  Honorable  John  A. 
Logan  generously  placed  important  documents  at  her  dis 
posal;  and  General  William  E.  Strong,  with  the  same  kind 
purpose  in  view,  gave  her  permission  to  make  extracts  from 
a  superb  manuscript  volume  written  by  himself  for  the  sake 
of  his  son,  containing  the  rich  harvest  of  his  army  expe 
riences.  Mr.  Horatio  L.  Wait,  in  many  ways  which  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  recount,  both  aided  and  encouraged  her 
in  her  work. 

Special  mention  should  also  be  made  of  the  permission, 
freely  accorded  her,  to  make  use  of  Mr.  L.  C.  Earle's  faith 
ful  and  spirited  portrait  of  General  Sheridan  at  the  battle 
of  Five  Forks,  an  accurate  copy  of  which  the  liberality  of 
her  publishers  has  enabled  her  to  present  to  her  readers. 

To  Mr.  William  F.  Poole,  of  the  Chicago  Public  Library, 
it  is  pleasant  to  extend  special  thanks  for  the  unfailing 
courtesy  with  which  he  granted  the  requests  made  for 
favors  in  the  use  of  valuable  historical  records. 

C.  E.  C. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  — THE  REASON  WHY i 

II.  —  A  FAMILY  QUARREL 18 

III.  — A  SPARK  IN  A  POWDER-MAGAZINE  ....  33 

IV.  —  A  CALL  FOR  HELP         ......  47 

V.  —  THE  NATION'S  ANSWER 63 

VI.  — CLOUDS     .               78 

VII.  —  A  BLACK  MONDAY 91 

VIII.  —  WESTERN  WARRIORS 108 

IX.  —  ODDS  AND  ENDS 124 

X.  —  OLD  MEN  FOR  COUNCIL,  YOUNG  MEN  FOR  WAR  .  138 

XL  — ON  THE  SEA 154 

XII.  —  "Two  HEADS  ARE  BETTER  THAN  "ONE"     .        .  170 

XIII.  —  "WHERE  THERE'S  A  WILL,  THERE'S  A  WAY"        .  187 

XIV.  — Two  SURPRISES       . 199 

XV.  —  HERE  A  LITTLE,  AND  THERE  A  LITTLE  .        .        .214 

XVI.  —  "ON  TO  RICHMOND!" 226 

XVII.  —  A  STORY  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT 242 

XVIII.  —  "FAINT,  YET  PURSUING" 257 

XIX.  —  A  NEW  COMMANDER 271 

XX.  —  BROKEN  CHAINS 294 

XXI.  —  THE  STUFF  THAT  HEROES  ARE  MADE  OF        .       .  309 

XXII.  —  CRUMBS  PICKED  UP 329 

XXIII.  —  DEFEAT  AND  VICTORY        .       .       .  .        .341 

XXIV.  — VICKSBURG       .               364 

ix 


x  Contents. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXV.  — ON  MANY  WATERS 384 

XXVI.  —  STEPS  THAT  COUNT 396 

XXVII.  —  IN  DIVERS  AND  SUNDRY  PLACES  .        .       .       .411 

XXVIII.  —  A  PULL  ALL  TOGETHER 424 

XXIX.  — DEEDS,  NOT  WORDS 438 

XXX.  —  "!F  ONE  WISHES  A  THING  DONE  WELL,  LET  HIM 

DO  IT  HIMSELF" 451 

XXXI.  —  MARCHING  THROUGH  GEORGIA  ....        462 
XXXII.  —  THEY  THAT  GO  DOWN  TO  THE  SEA  IN  SHIPS      .    475 

XXXIII.  —  A  PEEP  INSIDE 4^0 

XXXIV.  —  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  END        .        .       .       .502 
XXXV.  — AT  CLOSE  QUARTERS 516 

XXXVI.  —  THE  END 530 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 
GENERAL  SHERIDAN  AT  FIVE  FORKS        .        .        .       Frontispiece 

SAILING  FROM  ENGLAND 2 

THE  NATION'S  WARD 3 

MR.  GARRISON  IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  MOB       ...  7 

HARPER'S  FERRY n 

THE  SLAVE 15 

PRESIDENT  LINCOLN 19 

INTERIOR  OF  FORT  SUMTER 23 

FORT  SUMTER 27 

REFRESHMENTS  FOR  VOLUNTEERS 29 

LINCOLN  AS  A  RAIL-SPLITTER 35 

A  VOLUNTEER  DRUM-CORPS 37 

STEAM-FRIGATE 42 

PLANTING  THE  FLAG  ON  THE  RAMPARTS     ....  43 

GENERAL  SCOTT    48 

THE  FIRST  SUBSCRIPTION 49 

THROUGH  BALTIMORE 53 

CAPITOL  AT  WASHINGTON 59 

SPIRIT  OF  THE  NORTH 64 

AID  SOCIETY 65 

ELLSWORTH  AND  HIS  ZOUAVES 67 

NEGROES  COMING  INTO  THE  LINES 73 

ST.  Louis . .       .       .        .        .        .81 

BATTLE  OF  BOONVILLE    .        .       ...       .       .       .  85 

xi 


xii  Illustrations. 

PAGE 

THE  OLD  FLAG 93 

BULL  RUN 99 

IN  HOSPITAL 103 

CHILDREN'S  FAIR     .                107 

ARSENAL,  ST.  Louis 109 

GENERAL  LYON  LEADING  THE  CHARGE         .        .        .        .  in 

FREMONT'S  HOUSE  IN  ST.  Louis 115 

COLONEL  MULLIGAN'S  CHARGE      ...*..  117 

NEW  BOOTS  FOR  OLD 125 

EAST  TENNESSEE  REFUGEES •  127 

SOLDIERS  IN  CAMP 131 

ARTILLERY  SKIRMISH 137 

McCLELLAN  WITH  HIS  TROOPS  .       .       .  .       .       .14! 

BATTLE  OF  BALL'S  BLUFF       .                .        ...        .  147 

VOLUNTEER  HOSPITAL         .       .       ...       .       .        .  149 

HAULING  COTTON 155 

INTERIOR  OF  FORT  HATTERAS   .       • 159 

JAMES  A.  GARFIELD 171 

GUNBOATS  IN  LINE 175 

'FIELD  HOSPITAL 182 

BUSY  FINGERS 185 

AT  THE  GUNS 188 

PASSING  ISLAND  NUMBER  TEN 191 

OLD  ABE 195 

GENERAL  GRANT 201 

PASSING  THE  BATTERIES .  205 

PITTSBURG  LANDING    . 209 

ADMIRAL  GOLDSBOROUGH'S  FLEET                                        •.  217 

GENERAL  B.  F.  BUTLER      ........  221 

SHIP  MERRIMAC  BEFORE  BEING  CUT  DOWN  .                .       .  231 

INTERIOR  OF  A  TURRET '•     .        .        .  235 

FIGHT  OF  MERRIMAC  AND  MONITOR     .      .•/•     •»       .       -.  239 

GENERAL  MCCLELLAN  IN  THE  BATTLE     ...       .       .  245 


Illustrations.  xiii 

PAGE 

McCLELLAN   AT  WlLLIAMSBURG 249 

A  DOUBLE-TURRET  IRONCLAD 254 

THE  WOUNDED  BOY 259 

TELEGRAPHY 260 

MILITARY  BALLOONING 273 

BATTERY  AT  CHANCELLORSVILLE 279 

AID  SOCIETY  STORE-ROOM          . 283 

BARBARA  FREITCHIE 287 

CUTTING  OFF  JACKSON 291 

BATTLE  OF  ANTIETAM 299 

ANTIETAM  BATTLE-GROUND        .        .        .        .        .        .        .  303 

COLUMN  IN  MARCHING  ORDER 311 

HUNTED  WITH  BLOODHOUNDS    .        .        .        .        .        .        -315 

FARRAGUT'S  FAVORITE  PLACE  IN  AN  ENGAGEMENT     .        .  319 

NIGHT  MARCH  OF  CAVALRY 325 

"KEEP  OUT  OF  THE  DRAFT".       .        .               .               .  332 

THE  DRAFT .        .        .        .        .  339 

FREDERICKSBURG 342 

SLAVES  FLEEING  TO  THE  ARMY  FOR  PROTECTION   .        .        .  347 
ONE  YOUNG  LADY  WAVED  HER  HANDKERCHIEF  AS  THEY 

PASSED .        .        .  353 

THE  COLOR-BEARER         .        ...        .        .        .        .  355 

"  WITH  A  HURRAH,  THEY  RUSH  ON  "        .                       .        .  359 

GENERAL  SHERMAN .       .  365 

A  MISSISSIPPI  SCHOOLHOUSE      .       .       .'."..       .  369 

PLANTING  THE  FLAG  AT  VICKSBURG     .        .  •     •.       .       .  377 

NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT 389 

OLD-STYLE  FORTRESS 397 

JOHNNY  CLEM 405 

SHERMAN  AND  HIS  ARMY 413 

DEATH  OF  MORGAN      .       .       . 421 

GENERAL  GRANT .  425 

WILDERNESS 429 


xiv  Illustrations. 

PAGE 

SPOTTSYLVANIA 432 

NORTH  ANNA 435 

PETERSBURG,  JULY  17,  1864 436 

ARMY-CORPS  CHAPEL  NEAR  PETERSBURG 439 

RUINS  OF  CHAMBERSBURG 445 

GENERAL  SHERIDAN  IN  THE  VALLEY 449 

PATRIOT  ORPHAN  HOME 452 

DEATH  OF  MCPHERSON 457 

CHRISTIAN  COMMISSION 463 

A  BUMMER .        .  467 

SHERMAN'S  BUMMERS 471 

WINSLOW  AND  THE  KEARSARGE 477 

FARRAGUT  IN  THE  SHROUDS 483 

THE  MAGIC-LANTERN  IN  THE  HOSPITAL.          .        .       .        .487 
GUNBOAT  SUBSCRIPTION  IN  AID  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  COM 
MISSION  493 

IN  THE  FIELD 499 

" HURRY  UP,  GENERAL!" 507 

SINGING  "JOHN  BROWN"  IN  CHARLESTON  .        .       .        .  511 

SHERIDAN'S  CHARGE 517 

SURRENDER  OF  LEE 523 

LEE'S  FAREWELL  TO  HIS  ARMY 527 

LINCOLN  ADDRESSING  THE  PEOPLE 531 

ASSASSINATION  OF  LINCOLN 535 

THE  LINCOLN  MONUMENT 541 


YOUNG    FOLKS' 
HISTORY  OF   THE    CIVIL  WAR. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    REASON    WHY. 

IT  was  slavery  that  made  all  the  trouble.  Now  that  it 
exists  no  longer,  we  remember  it  only  as  a  bad  dream 
from  which  we  are  thankful  to  awaken. 

The  day  is  long  past  in  which  men  and  women,  and  even 
little  children,  were  bought  and  sold  for  money  in  our  own 
free  country ;  for  it  is  indeed  true  that  the  laws  of  our  land 
once  permitted  negroes  to  be  treated  as  dumb  animals 
might  have  been  before  there  was  a  humane  society  to  pro 
tect  them.  They  had  no  rights,  and  their  wrongs  were  many. 
Faithful  labor  for  a  lifetime  brought  them  no  wages.  No 
choice  of  masters  was  possible.  The  question  whether  they 
should  suffer  hardships,  or  enjoy  comforts,  depended  wholly 
upon  the  sort  of  men  who  owned  them.  Some  masters  were 
kind,  and  looked  after  their  people ;  but  by  far  the  greater 
number  left  the  care  of  their  slaves  to  overseers  whose  tender 
mercies  were  cruel. 

But  the  colored  race  is  easy-going  and  cheerful  by  nature, 
taking  life  patiently,  and  waiting  hopefully  for  the  "good 
time  coming  "  by  and  by.  So  these  poor  people  dried  their 
tears,  and  sang  and  prayed  and  danced  ;  and  their  masters 
called  them  happy  children,  content  with  their  lot.  A  true 


Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1620. 


. 


story  of  those  times,  picturing  to  your  minds  the  wealth  and 
luxury  and  sin  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  sorrow  and  misery 
on  the  other,  would  be  as  hard  to  believe  as  any  of  the  "Tales 
of  the  Arabian  Nights." 

The  Pilgrim  Fathers  settled  at  Plymouth  more  than  two 
hundred  years  ago.  At  that  time  a  shipload  of  negroes  had 
already  been  sent  by  an  English  slave- trading  company  to 
Virginia,  landing  at  Old  Point  Comfort. 

Vessels  from  England,  Spain,  or  Portugal,  sailed  over  to 
the  coast  of  Africa  to  steal  the  poor  blacks  who  lived  there ; 

or,  buying  them  with 
a  few  beads  or  a  lit 
tle  money,  they  were 
brought  to  this  coun 
try,  and  sold  as  slaves. 
Of  course,  weeks  were 
consumed  in  this  terri 
ble  voyage ;  and  often 
one-fifth  of  the  cargo 
died  on  the  way,  from 
heat  and  hunger,  and 
lack  of  pure  air  to 
breathe. 

You  will  be  surprised  to  hear  that  the  English  nation  was 
not  ashamed  of  this  business.  In  the  year  1713  Queen 
Anne  of  England  took  one-quarter  of  the  stock  in  a  company 
of  this  kind ;  that  is,  she  gave  one-fourth  of  the  money  to 
fit  out  the  expedition  and  to  buy  the  slaves,  expecting  to  get 
one-quarter  of  the  profit.  Shiploads  of  these  poor  creatures 
were  brought  to  this  country  every  year.  As  early  as  the 
Revolutionary  War,  three  hundred  thousand  negroes  had 
arrived,  and  there  was  not  one  of  the  thirteen  States  that 
did  not  hold  slaves.  Even  the  children  of  the  Pilgrims 
owned  Indians,  and  afterwards  negroes. 


SAILING    FROM    ENGLAND. 


i787,j  The  Reason    Why.  5 

Still,  men  who  had  fought  so  many  hard  battles  to  secure 
freedom  to  themselves  were  not  quite  comfortable  at  the 
thought  of  enslaving  others.  In  the  convention  which  pre 
pared  the  Constitution  for  the  new  nation,  much  dissatisfac 
tion  was  manifested  with  such  a  state  of  things ;  and,  had 
not  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  resisted  so  firmly,  there  is 
little  doubt  that  the  slave-trade  would  have  been  forbidden 
at  that  time.  This  would  have  been  an  easy  matter  then ; 
but  it  was  put  off  for  "twenty  years,"  to  save  trouble,  when, 
alas  !  it  was  too  late. 

Nobody  pretended  then  that  slavery  was  not  wrong,  but 
it  was  very  profitable.  Years  after,  John  C.  Calhoun,  a  South- 
Carolinian,  dared  to  stand  up  in  Congress,  and  defend  it, 
upon  the  ground  that  the  slave  himself  was  benefited.  The 
South  believed  this  doctrine  already,  and  did  not  need  to 
be  persuaded.  So  you  can  easily  see  that  the  custom  of 
slavery  was  an  inheritance  ;  that  is,  handed  down  from  father 
to  son,  for  many,  many  years.  Indeed,  it  was  such  an  old 
habit,  that  few  gave  it  a  thought.  If,  however,  it  troubled  the 
conscience  of  anybody  to  own  slaves,  he  felt  sorry  for  it  in  a 
lazy  sort  of  way,  and  comforted  himself  with  the  thought,  "It 
cannot  be  helped  now,"  never  trying  to  get  rid  of  the  sin. 

North  of  a  certain  limit,  usually  called  "Mason  and  Dixon's 
line,"  slavery  was  prohibited  by  a  law  passed  in  1820.  This 
line  ran  across  the  country  east  and  west,  from  the  Atlantic 
coast  to  Mexico,  and  was  so  called  after  the  men  who  sur 
veyed  it.  "This  line  runs  on  the  parallel  of  39°  43'  26", 
and  divides  Pennsylvania  from  Maryland."  I  should  like 
to  think  that  all  who  read  this  story  will  trace  this  division 
on  the  map. 

The  States  lying  north  of  this  boundary  were  called  free 
States,  because  a  slave  who  might  happen  to  cross  it  became 
a  free  man  so  long  as  he  remained  beyond  it.  Masters  did 
not  often  take  the  risk  of  bringing  their  slaves  to  the  North, 


6          Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.      [1857-59. 

unless  they  were  very  sure  that  their  negroes  had  no  good 
reason  for  wishing  to  be  free. 

But  LIBERTY  is  a  sweet  word.  It  sounded  so  pleasant  to 
the  ears  of  the  colored  people  when  they  heard  it,  that  they 
began  to  think  about  it,  and  afterwards  to  speak  of  it  too. 
It  meant  a  great  deal  of  which  they  had  never  dared  to 
dream.  It  meant  the  right  to  read  and  write.  It  meant 
the  right  to  earn  one's  own  bread,  and  to  eat  it  honestly. 
It  meant  the  right  to  live  with  one's  own  wife  and  children, 
without  the  fear  of  being  separated  by  the  dreaded  "trader." 

Yet  there  seemed  but  one  way  to  get  the  thing  the  poor 
slave  wished  for  so  constantly.  That  was  to  run  away  from 
his  master  to  the  free  country  which  lay  so  near. 

At  last  the  loss  of  slave  property  in  this  way  became  very 
common,  and  the  South  grew  alarmed.  So  a  Virginian 
named  Mason  succeeded  in  getting  Congress  to  pass  a  law 
which  gave  to  the  master  a  right  to  seize  a  runaway  slave 
wherever  he  might  be  found.  "All  good  citizens,"  so  the 
law  read,  "  were  commanded  to  aid  and  assist "  in  the  search 
and  capture.  This  was  the  famous  "  Fugitive  Slave  Law," 
and  it  made  a  great  stir.  It  was  very  natural  that  Northern 
people  should  not  take  kindly  to  slave-hunting ;  and  espe 
cially  did  this  law  vex  the  people  of  Boston. 

Indeed,  the  New-England  States  were  so  much  opposed  to 
the  institution  or  plan  of  slavery,  that  they  wished  to  abolish 
it,  or  to  get  rid  of  it  altogether.  Those  who  felt  in  this  way 
were  called  "  abolitionists."  In  Boston  a  newspaper  which 
was  devoted  to  this  cause  was  edited  by  William  Lloyd 
Garrison.  In  Philadelphia  a  society  called  the  "  American 
Antislavery  Society "  was  formed,  whose  purpose  was  to 
destroy  the  system. 

This  association  sent  books  and  pamphlets  all  over  the 
country,  declaring  that  slavery  was  a  sin,  and  which  were 
intended  to  set  men  to  thinking  upon  the  subject. 


1859 1  The  Reason    Why.  9 

Well,  after  the  passage  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  there 
was  a  great  deal  of  trouble  about  catching  the  negroes  who 
escaped  over  the  line.  Many  refused  to  assist  the  owners, 
and  helped  the  slaves  to  get  away ;  while  the  fugitives  were 
sometimes  treated  in  a  very  cruel  manner  both  by  citizens 
and  by  officers  of  the  law.  So,  after  that,  the  runaways 
always  tried  to  get  over  the  border  of  the  United  States  into 
Canada.  The  reason  was  plain.  Canada  belongs  to  Great 
Britain  :  therefore  our  laws  do  not  hold  good  there.  And 
certainly  it  only  seemed  fair  that  the  race  which  Queen 
Anne  helped  to  sell  into  bondage  so  many  years  before 
should  find  protection  and  freedom  under  Queen  Victoria's 
happier  reign. 

The  Northern  people  grew  every  day  more  indignant  as 
time  went  on.  Speeches  were  made,  books  were  written, 
even  novels  were  founded,  upon  the  wrongs  of  the  colored 
race.  Newspapers  were  filled  with  the  dreadful  things  which 
were  done  in  the  name  of  the  law  in  order  to  capture  these 
poor  creatures. 

At  last,  nearly  ten  years  after  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  was 
made,  the  first  blow  for  the  freedom  of  the  negroes  was 
struck,  honestly,  but  most  unwisely.  It  startled  the  nation, 
and  echoed  throughout  the  world. 

You  have  all  sung  about  John  Brown,  whose  "  body  lies 
a-mouldering  in  the  grave,  but  his  soul  goes  marching  on." 
Did  you  know  that  he  was  a  real  man,  who  gave  his  life  to 
free  the  colored  people?  He  was  a  hero  and  a  Christian. 
Led  on  by  the  one  thought  which  had  ruled  his  life  for 
many  years,  John  Brown  determined  to  secure  the  freedom 
of  the  blacks  at  any  risk,  trusting  to  Cod  and  his  own  strong 
right  arm  for  the  means. 

When  Kansas  was  in  great  danger  of  being  made  a  slave 
State,  he  had  gone  there,  taking  with  him  his  four  sons,  to 
help  to  make  it  free.  Many  a  brave  battle  did  these  stout- 


IO        Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1854. 

hearted  men  fight  for  the  cause  of  liberty,  and  many  a  poor 
slave  did  they  send  to  Canada  at  the  risk  of  their  own  lives. 
You  will,  perhaps,  wonder  how  the  Territory  of  Kansas  should 
be  such  a  "  bone  of  contention."  There  was  a  law  provid 
ing  that  the  Territories  should  decide  the  matter  of  slavery 
for  themselves.  Of  course  that  question  could  only  be  set 
tled  by  vote.  It  was  the  wish  of  all  free-State  men,  that 
Kansas  should  be  settled  by  so  large  a  majority  of  those 
who  disapproved  of  slavery,  that,  when  it  was  admitted  to 
the  Union,  it  should  be  free.  The  struggle  was  long  and 
desperate.  Steadily,  however,  Kansas  was  filled  up  with 
Northern  men,  and  at  length  it  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
as  a  free  State.  But  John  Brown's  share  in  this  victory  had 
been  dearly  bought,  —  in  the  loss  of  two  of  his  sons,  and 
the  burning  of  his  home.  When  he  was  no  longer  needed 
in  Kansas,  he  went  to  Harper's  Ferry  in  Virginia,  where  he 
was  joined  by  his  sons  and  a  few  other  "  madmen,"  as  peo 
ple  said ;  for  everybody  thought  him  crazy.  This  was  in 
the  autumn  of  1859. 

For  several  months  they  lived  quietly  on  a  farm  which 
they  had  rented.  It  is  said  that  "  no  meal  was  eaten  on  the 
farm,  while  Old  Brown  was  there,  until  a  blessing  had  been 
asked  upon  it."  There  is  little  doubt  that  he  was  conscien 
tious,  for  he  had  an  inborn  hatred  of  slavery.  He  believed 
himself  doing  God's  work. 

Harper's  Ferry  is  a  small  village  in  a  deep  gorge  of  the 
Blue  Ridge  Mountains.  It  lies  where  the  Potomac  and  the 
Shenandoah  Rivers  meet.  Here  was  an  arsenal  belonging 
to  the  government,  and  a  national  armory,  where  stores  of 
cannon  and  muskets  were  kept,  as  well  as  powder  and  shot, 
which  we  call  "  ammunition."  Many  of  the  villagers  were 
employed  at  the  armory,  or  in  the  shops  belonging  to  it. 
Brown  chose  this  for  his  point  of  attack,  no  doubt  on  account 
of  the  vast  quantity  of  arms  stored  at  Harper's  Ferry. 


1859.1  The  Reason    Why.  13 

But  only  think  !  John  Brown's  whole  army  was  made  up 
of  seventeen  white  men  and  five  or  six  negroes.  With  these 
he  opened  the  war  in  the  hope  that  he  would  soon  be  joined 
by  others.  Like  a  gallant  knight,  with  a  brave  heart  and  a 
handful  of  followers,  John  Brown  set  out  to  right  a  great 
wrong. 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railway  crosses  the  Potomac 
at  Harper's  Ferry.  The  raiders  began  by  tearing  up  the 
railroad  track,  and  afterwards  cutting  the  telegraph  wires. 
Time  could  be  gained  in  this  way,  for  you  know  how 
fast  news  flies  nowadays.  Quietly  the  street-lamps  were 
put  out.  At  ten  o'clock  most  of  the  inhabitants  were 
asleep. 

It  was  easy  enough  to  seize  the  three  men  who  guarded 
the  armory,  and  lock  them  up  in  the  guard-room.  All  this 
was  done  before  midnight. 

"  'Tvvas  the  sixteenth  of  October,  on  the  evening  of  a  Sunday ; 

'This  good  work,'  declared  the  captain  'shall  be  on  a  holy  night.1 
It  was  on  a  Sunday  evening,  and  before  the  noon  of  Monday, 

With  two  sons,  and  Captain  Stephens,  fifteen  privates,  —  black 
and  white, 

Captain  Brown, 

Ossawattomie  Brown, 

Marched  across  the  bridged  Potomac,  and  knocked  the  sentry  down." 

In  the  mean  time,  Brown  and  his  men  visited  the  houses 
of  several  gentlemen  in  the  neighborhood,  freeing  their 
slaves,  and  making  the  masters  prisoners.  Brown's  men 
guarded  the  streets  and  bridges ;  and  by  eight  o'clock  the 
next  morning  the  town  was  completely  in  his  power,  while 
he  had  taken  fifty  or  sixty  prisoners.  By  and  by,  however, 
the  news  spread  far  and  wide  throughout  the  South.  When 
noon  came,  several  companies  of  State  militia  had  arrived, 
and  the  little  band  was  completely  surrounded,  though  not 
taken.  Shots  were  fired  on  both  sides.  All  night  the 


14        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1859. 

raiders  held  their  ground,  although  before  dark,  Watson, 
one  of  Brown's  sons,  was  killed. 

The  valley  was  now  too  well  guarded  to  permit  the  escape 
of  Brown  and  his  men.  During  the  night  another  son  was 
killed.  Now  they  were  prisoners,  having  taken  refuge  in  the 
engine-house.  On  Tuesday  morning  a  parley,  or  talk,  was 
held  :  then,  finding  that  Brown  would  not  yield,  the  Virginians 
seized  a  ladder,  with  which  they  rushed  upon  the  door  of 
the  engine-house,  and  all  was  over. 

Brown  was  struck  in  the  face  by  a  sabre,  and  he  received 
several  other  wounds. 

Thus  this  poor,  mistaken  old  man,  as  brave  as  a  lion,  yet 
as  noble  as  a  king,  bleeding,  but  calm,  was  led  out  a  prisoner. 
On  that  sad  night  Brown  said  to  a  gentleman  who  ques 
tioned  him,  that  he  was  glad  his  sons  were  dead,  because 
they  were  slain  in  a  good  cause. 

Of  course  he  was  tried  for  treason,  and  condemned  to 
die.  This  was  done  according  to  law ;  for  treason  is  mak 
ing  war  upon  the  State,  and  the  penalty  is  death.  Brown 
was  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  but  he  was  kept  in  prison 
for  a  long  time.  Some  of  his  friends  wished  him  to  say 
that  he  was  not  in  his  right  mind,  and  therefore  he  did 
not  know  what  he  was  doing.  He  scorned  to  do  such  a 
thing.  He  died  on  the  scaffold,  on  the  2d  of  December, 
1859,  gladly  laying  down  his  life  for  the  cause  he  so  dearly 
loved. 

On  the  morning  of  his  death  Brown  left  the  jail  with  a 
firm  step  and  a  bright  face.  As  he  passed  a  colored  woman 
with  a  little  child  in  her  arms,  he  kissed  the  infant.  An 
other  negro  woman  who  stood  near  said  earnestly,  "  God 
bless  you,  old  man  !  I  wish  I  could  help  you,  but  I 
can't."  For  the  first  time  tears  filled  the  old  man's  eyes. 
He  felt  that  the  colored  people  knew  him  to  be  their  friend, 
and  he  was  satisfied. 


THE    SLAVE. 


1859.]  The  Reason    Why.  17 

So  John  Brown  —  so  humble,  so  bold,  so  tender,  and  so 
brave  —  really  began  the  civil,  or  home  war  ;  because,  after 
this,  things  never  settled  down  to  their  former  state.  Much 
bitter  feeling  had  been  aroused  which  could  not  be 
smothered. 


1 8  A  Family  Quarrel.  [1860. 


CHAPTER   II. 

A    FAMILY    QUARREL. 

IN  the  autumn  of  1860  there  were  thirty-four  sister  States 
in  the  Union. 

Once  in  four  years,  as  you  know,  a  President  is  chosen 
by  them  to  manage  the  affairs  of  this  great  family,  as  well 
as  to  protect  its  rights. 

The  vote  of  all  these  States  had  been  taken  this  year,  as 
usual ;  but,  when  Abraham  Lincoln  received  the  election  to 
that  office,  the  clamor  which  followed  was  any  thing  but 
sisterly.  No  sooner  was  the  news  sent  over  the  telegraph- 
wires  than  South  Carolina,  always  a  little  hot-tempered  and 
wilful,  flew  into  a  rage.  Every  free  State,  excepting  New 
Jersey,  had  given  her  voice  for  Mr.  Lincoln ;  and  even  she 
gave  him  more  than  half  her  votes. 

For  a  great  many  years,  almost  all  the  years  of  the 
Republic,  the  Southern  States  had  exercised  a  powerful 
influence  in  the  government.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  the 
Northern  States  claimed  the  right  to  express  an  opinion ; 
and  South  Carolina,  for  one,  would  not  admit  it,  and  so  she 
declared  herself  out  of  the  Union. 

The  reason  for  this  unhappy  difference  of  opinion  was 
very  plain.  The  South  wished,  not  only  to  hold  slaves, 
which  nobody  expected  to  hinder,  but,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  she  wished  to  extend  the  system  of  slavery  to  other 
States  and  Territories. 

Mr.  Lincoln  earnestly  opposed  the  idea  of  making  new 


PRESIDENT    LINCOLN. 


i860.]  A  Family  Quarrel.  21 

slave  States,  and  he  had  not  hesitated  to  say  so.  Indeed, 
when  he  was  nominated,  or  chosen,  for  the  Republican  can 
didate  for  President,  that  opinion  was  one  of  the  planks  of 
the  "platform,"  as  politicians  say,  upon  which  he  stood. 

South  Carolina  received  the  news  of  the  election  on  the 
7th  of  November.  Instead  of  mourning  over  the  defeat  of 
her  own  candidate,  she  broke  forth  into  shouts  of  rejoicing ; 
for  it  gave  her  an  excuse  to  do  what  she  had  long  desired. 

Like  a  naughty  child,  that  "  won't  play  "  unless  it  can  al 
ways  have  its  own  way,  she  took  immediate  steps  to  secede 
from  the  Union,  and  thus  to  become  an  independent  State, 
flatly  refusing  to  accept  the  decision  of  the  polls.  Charleston 
instantly  presented  a  scene  of  the  wildest  excitement.  Bells 
were  rung  ;  speeches  were  made  ;  and  bonfires  glowed  :  even 
women  paraded  the  streets,  wearing  secession  colors  and 
badges.  Urged  on  by  the  governor,  himself  a  hearty  seces 
sionist,  preparations  were  set  on  foot  to  withdraw  without  delay. 

A  State  Convention  was  called,  to  meet  at  Columbia,  the 
capital,  on  the  i  yth  of  December,  but,  owing  to  a  prevail 
ing  sickness  there,  it  was  changed  to  Charleston.  Here 
was  passed,  in  secret  session,  a  formal  Order  of  Secession. 
When  it  was  afterward  made  known  to  the  people,  it  was 
welcomed  with  every  sign  of  joy.  One  who  was  present 
at  that  convention  said,  "  This  is  a  matter  which  has  been 
gathering  head  for  thirty  years." 

And,  as  if  it  were  not  bad  enough  for  South  Carolina  to 
behave  in  this  manner,  she  sent  urgent  invitations  to  all  her 
Southern  sisters  to  join  her.  Somebody  has  aptly  put  in 
rhyme  the  feeling  of  the  North  at  this  time  in  regard  to  its 
wayward  sister :  — 

"  O  Carolina !  sister,  pray  come  back ; 

Scorn  not  our  flag,  nor  nightly  talk  of  wars, 
Lest  Uncle  Sam,  once  fairly  on  your  track, 

Should  make  you  feel  the  stripes,  and  see  the  stars." 


22       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

The  new  year  was  only  a  month  old  when  six  other  States 
had  followed  her  bad  example.  Georgia,  Alabama,  Florida, 
Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Texas  had  also  declared  them 
selves'  free  from  the  laws  and  government  of  the  United 
States.  Delegates  were  chosen  from  all  these  States  to  hold 
another  convention  in  Montgomery,  Ala.,  where,  upon  the 
8th  of  February,  1861,  a  new  government  was  formed,  much 
after  the  pattern  of  the  old  one,  but  which  protected  the 
growth  of  slavery,  and  which  was  named  "  The  Confederate 
States  of  America."  The  word  confederate  means  banded 
together. 

The  next  day  Jefferson  Davis  was  made  President  of  this 
new  Republic,  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Vice-President. 
We  must,  however,  do  Mr.  Stephens  the  justice  to  say  that 
he  strongly  opposed  secession  at  first;  but  when  Georgia, 
his  own  beloved  State  of  Georgia,  withdrew  from  the  Union, 
he  could  no  longer  hold  out.  And  when  the  time  came,  he 
readily  took  the  oath  of  his  new  office.  Mr.  Davis,  in  the 
first  speech  which  he  made  after  his  election,  urged  the 
South  to  get  ready  for  war,  whether  it  should  be  necessary 
or  not. 

At  this  time  a  "  Peace  Conference  "  was  held  in  Wash 
ington,  in  the  hope  of  settling  the  difficulty  in  some  way. 
Indeed,  Congress  had  done  very  little  all  winter  beside  trying 
to  patch  up  the  quarrel  between  the  North  and  the  South, 
and  yet  had  accomplished  nothing. 

James  Buchanan  was  President  of  the  United  States  when 
these  things  occurred.  Although  he  did  not  check  the  dis 
contented  sisters,  he  was  not  by  any  means  a  traitor.  He 
was  loyal  to  his  country ;  but  naturally  a  timid  man,  and 
afraid  of  offending  both  North  and  South,  he  trusted  too 
much  to  the  advice  and  opinions  of  those  around  him.  We 
call  the  chief  advisers  of  the  President  his  Cabinet,  and  each 
of  the  men  of  whom  it  is  made  up  has  a  special  kind  of 


i860.]  A  Family  Quarrel.'  25 

duty  to  perform.  The  men  at  the  head  of  the  various 
branches  of  the  national  affairs  during  Mr.  Buchanan's  presi 
dency  were  nearly  all  slaveholders,  who  naturally  desired  to 
assist  their  Southern  friends  in  their  plans. 

John  B.  Floyd  was  Secretary  of  War,  whose  business  it  was 
to  keep  the  national  troops,  forts,  and  arsenals  always  ready 
for  the  defence  of  the  Union.  Instead  of  that,  Mr.  Floyd 
warmly  sympathized  with  the  South ;  for  he  was  himself  a 
Virginian  slaveholder.  As  discontent  grew  bolder,  and  the 
South  began  to  whisper  about  war,  he  secretly  sent  large 
quantities  of  arms  and  ammunition  from  the  North  to  South 
ern  forts  and  arsenals,  and  placed  Southern  men  in  charge 
of  every  thing.  There  is  also  an  ugly  story,  that,  for  the 
purpose  of  assisting  the  seceding  States,  he  was  party  to  the 
misappropriation  of  a  large  amount  of  money  belonging  to 
the  government. 

Mr.  Howell  Cobb  was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  or  keeper 
of  the  national  money-box.  He  was  a  slaveholder  from 
Georgia :  so  you  can  easily  guess  that  the  mints,  custom 
houses,  and  post-offices  south  of  "  Mason  and  Dixon's  line," 
were  popped  into  the  pocket  of  the  Confederate  States,  with 
out  a  word  of  complaint  from  Mr.  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

Mr.  Toucey  was  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  and,  though  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  he  was  not  much  more  loyal  to  the 
Union  than  the  rest.  He  allowed  the  largest  and  best  ships 
of  our  very  small  navy  to  be  left  in  Southern  waters,  or  to 
be  sent  so  far  away,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  use  them 
if  a  sudden  need  occurred.  He  also  allowed  many  officers 
of  the  navy  to  resign  in  order  that  they  might  be  free  to 
take  up  arms  against  the  government.  Mr.  Toucey  was 
publicly  censured  by  the  House  of  Representatives  for  this 
conduct. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  entreated  by  the  friends  of  the  Union 
to  send  supplies  and  re-enforcements  to  Fort  Moultrie  in 


26       Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1860. 

Charleston  harbor,  and  to  Fort  Pickens  in  Florida.  The 
garrisons  in  these  forts  were  especially  threatened,  and  the 
necessity  was  urgent. 

But  the  President  hesitated,  and  listened  to  the  members 
of  his  cabinet,  nearly  all  of  whom  advised  him  to  delay,  for 
fear  of  provoking  the  South.  And  he  was  glad  of  any  excuse 
to  put  off  the  trouble  that  was  sure  to  come. 

Floyd,  Cobb,  and  Thompson  (Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
from  Mississippi),  all  rebels  at  heart,  argued  and  threatened 
and  pleaded  for  more  time,  or  pictured  the  danger  of  sending 
help  just  then  to  Charleston. 

On  the  other  hand,  General  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  State, 
implored  the  President  not  to  delay  one  hour.  The  poor 
old  man  was  nearly  driven  mad  with  such  contradictory 
counsel. 

At  length  Mr.  Buchanan  told  General  Cass  plainly  that 
he  would  send  no  help  to  Charleston  harbor,  and  Secretary 
Cass  without  delay  gave  up  his  position  in  the  Cabinet.  Mr. 
Cobb  had  resigned  a  few  days  before  this,  and  returned  to 
Georgia  to  assist  in  the  work  of  secession  at  home.  He 
was  afterward  made  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  army. 

While  these  things  \vere  taking  place  in  Washington, 
Major  Robert  Anderson,  with  a  very  small  garrison,  held 
Fort  Moultrie  in  Charleston  harbor.  It  was  really  of  little 
use  as  a  fort  for  their  protection,  should  occasion  for  defence 
arise. 

Well  persuaded  that  a  storm  was  brewing  which  would 
burst  in  fury  before  long,  Major  Anderson  made  up  his 
mind  to  change  his  quarters  without  waiting  for  orders. 
Therefore,  on  the  night  before  Christmas,  this  little  band 
of  loyal  men  very  quietly  pushed  off  in  boats,  rowing  directly 
to  Fort  Sumter.  The  night  was  lovely,  and  in  the  moon 
light  Sumter  looked  like  a  huge  rock  rising  out  of  the  sea. 
Its  position,  lying  in  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  was  excellent. 


i860.]  A  Family  Quarrel.  27 

It  was  built  of  brick,  and  was  thought  to  be  very  strong,  be 
ing  furnished  with  three  rows  of  guns,  —  two  in  casemates, 
and  one  en  barbette,  or  on  the  top  of  the  ramparts.  The 
removal  was  effected  so  cautiously  that  it  might  have  been 
made  in  daylight  without  exciting  much  suspicion.  Besides, 
there  were  armies  of  workmen  constantly  going  back  and 
forth,  who  were  engaged  in  repairing  the  fort,  for  whom 
they  might  have  been  mistaken.  Major  Anderson  had  been 
pushing  the  work  here  for  several  months ;  and  the  rebels 
were  only,  waiting  for  it  to  be  ready 
in  order  to  seize,  and  occupy  it 
themselves. 

As  the  rebels  would  of  course 
take  immediate  possession  of  Fort 
Moultrie  when  its  garrison  was  gone, 
good  care  was  had  to  carry  away  all 
that  could  be  removed,  —  such  as 
small-arms,  ammunition,  and  stores, 

—  and  to  destroy  every  thing  else.     Guns  were  spiked,  the 
flagstaff  cut  down,  and  gun-carriages  burned. 

At  noon  on  the  following  day  Major  Anderson  gathered 
his  company  around  him.  Taking  the  cords  of  the  Union 
flag  in  his  hand,  they  all  knelt  at  the  flagstaff,  and  asked 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  them  in  that  trying  hour.  The 
hearty  "  Amen  !  "  which  answered  showed  that  they  were 
in  earnest.  Then,  while  the  band  played  "  Hail  Columbia," 
the  flag  was  run  up,  and  the  soldiers  cheered. 

It  need  not  be  told  that  Secretary  Floyd  was  furious  when 
he  found  this  out ;  and  President  Buchanan,  even,  was  far 
from  pleased  with  Major  Anderson's  conduct. 

When  Mr.  Floyd  placed  Major  Anderson  in  Charleston 
harbor,  it  is  thought  that  he  made  the  mistake  of  supposing 
that  the  Major  was  disloyal,  because  he  was  a  Southern  man. 
Happily,  in  this  as  well  as  in  many  other  cases,  the  rule  failed 


28       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1860. 

to  hold  good,  as  we  shall  see ;  for  Robert  Anderson  was  one 
of  many  true  patriots. 

About  this  time  South  Carolina  sent  Commissioners,  or 
State-messengers,  to  the  President  for  the  purpose  of  asking 
that  the  United-States  troops  should  be  removed  from  the 
harbor  of  Charleston,  as  well  as  to  treat  for  the  deliverance 
of  all  government  property  in  the  State.  This  was  indeed 
a  bold  act.  But,  while  the  President  was  trying  to  decide 
what  to  do,  the  news  came,  that,  immediately  after  Major 
Anderson's  movement,  South  Carolina  had  seized  Fort 
Moultrie,  and  another  fort  called  Castle  Pinckney,  the  cus 
tom-house,  post-office,  and  arsenal,  belonging,  of  course,  to 
the  United  States.  Over  them  all  had  been  unfurled  the 
Palmetto  State  flag.  Now  the  question  was  an  easy  one  to 
settle.  The  President  refused  to  receive  the  Commissioners 
officially,  and  replied  that  he  could  not  give  them  what  they 
asked. 

This  brought  matters  to  such  a  crisis,  that  Mr.  Floyd  could 
do  no  less  than  resign.  Mr.  Buchanan  must  have  drawn 
a  sigh  of  relief  to  get  rid  of  a  man  who  had  worried  him 
so  long.  Joseph  Holt,  of  Kentucky,  was  given  the  place  of 
Secretary  of  War,  made  vacant  by  Mr.  Floyd.  Soon  Secre 
tary  Thompson  gave  up  his  place,  because  the  President 
decided  to  send  relief,  even  at  this  late  hour,  to  the  loyal 
forts  at  the  South.  He  took  the  trouble,  however,  before 
he  finished  his  own  preparations  to  go,  to  inform  Governor 
Pickens  by  telegraph,  that  aid  was  coming. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  at  the  close  of  1860,  —  plots 
and  conspiracies  everywhere,  with  the  almost  certain  pros 
pect  of  a  civil  war. 

The  newspapers  advised,  and  scolded,  and  suggested 
ways  ;  but  it  was  all  lost  on  the  President.  "  Vanity  Fair  " 
tells  the  story  of  that  time  in  this  funny  way :  — 


i86o-6i.]  A  Family  Quarrel.  31 

"  Sing  a  song  of  Sumter, 

A  fort  in  Charleston  Bay: 
Eight  and  sixty  brave  men 
Watch  there  night  and  day. 

Those  brave  men  to  succor 

Still  no  aid  is  sent : 
Isn't  James  Buchanan 

A  pretty  President ! 

James  is  in  his  cabinet, 

Doubting  and  debating ; 
Anderson,  in  Sumter, 

Very  tired  of  waiting. 

Pickens1  is  in  Charleston, 

Blustering  of  blows  ; 
Thank  goodness  !  March  the  fourth  is  near, 

To  nip  Secession's  nose." 

We  have  seen  that  the  President  had  been  completely 
under  the  influence  of  men  who  were  opposed  to  the  Union. 
Now,  however,  these  honest  gentlemen  having  completed 
their  work  and  departed,  he  could  once  more  think  for 
himself. 

He  consented  to  give  "  aid  and  comfort  "  to  Major  Ander 
son  under  a  well-ordered  scheme  of  his  present  Cabinet. 
The  steamer  Star  of  the  West,  a  merchant-ship,  was  char 
tered,  and  loaded  with  provisions  and  soldiers,  and  steamed 
out  of  New  York  on  the  5th  of  January,  bound  for  Sumter. 
But  we  know,  that,  through  the  kindness  of  Secretary  Thomp 
son,  she  was  expected.  All  this  time  the  authorities  of  South 
Carolina  had  been  very  busy.  Fort  Moultrie  had  been  re 
paired,  and  other  batteries  planted  in  position  to  play  upon 
Sumter.  So  when  the  Star  of  the  West  came  within  range  of 
these  guns,  they  opened  fire  upon  her ;  yet  she  kept  on  her 
course,  with  the  "  Stars  and  Stripes  "  flying.  At  last  the  shots 

1  Governor  of  South  Carolina. 


32       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.     [1861. 

were  too  frequent  and  too  heavy  to  be  risked  any  longer : 
so  she  put  out  to  sea  again,  and  was  soon  lost  to  sight ;  and 
with  her  the  hope  of  relief  faded  from  the  eyes  of  the  brave 
little  company  at  Sumter. 

When  there  was,  therefore,  no  longer  any  question  whether 
sooner  or  later  Fort  Sumter  would  be  attacked,  it  was  thought 
best  to  remove  the  women  and  children  to  safer  quarters. 
Consent  was  easily  obtained  from  Governor  Pickens,  and 
they  were  taken  to  Charleston  in  order  to  secure  passage 
on  a  steamer  bound  for  New  York.  Fort  Sumter  lies  nearly 
in  the  centre  of  Charleston  harbor,  you  know.  To  reach  the 
open  sea,  the  Marion,  which  carried  the  soldiers'  families, 
must  pass  very  close  to  it.  It  was  Sunday  morning.  Nearer 
and  nearer  came  the  little  steamer  bearing  such  precious 
freight.  Sadly  the  women  gazed  at  the  fort  which  had  so 
lately  been  home  to  them. 

Through  wet  eyes  they  saw  the  little  garrison  drawn  up 
on  the  ramparts,  —  whether  to  meet  these  loved  ones  in  life, 
who  could  tell?  Just  as  the  Marion  passed  the  fort,  a  gun 
was  fired  ;  and  "  three  heart-thrilling  cheers  "  were  given  by 
that  heroic  company  cut  off  from  friends,  and  surrounded  by 
enemies.  Tears  and  sobs,  and  white  handkerchiefs  waved 
in  farewell,  were  the  only  answer.  But  it  did  not  make  the 
parting  easier  to  bear  to  know  that  five  deadly  batteries, 
ready  to  open  at  any  moment,  were  pointing  their  guns 
directly  toward  Fort  Sumter. 


A  Spark  in  a  Powder-Magazine.  33 


CHAPTER    III. 

A    SPARK    IN    A    POWDER-MAGAZINE. 

IN  the  mean  time  Mr.  Lincoln  had  left  his  home  in  Spring 
field,  111.,  for  Washington.  The  journey  was  made  in  a 
private  or  special  car,  in  the  company  of  a  few  of  his  friends. 
The  party  took  plenty  of  time,  stopping  at  all  the  cities  through 
which  they  passed ;  and  the  President-elect  received  a  royal 
welcome  everywhere.  His  speeches  to  the  people  were 
temperate  and  straightforward. 

All  along  the  route,  whether  the  trains  stopped  or  not,  he 
was  greeted  by  the  sound  of  booming  guns,  by  the  waving  of 
hats,  and  the  flutter  of  handkerchiefs  ;  while  hearty  cries  from 
the  throngs  that  crowded  every  platform  told  him  of  the 
good-will  of  the  people.  This  must  have  been  very  encour 
aging  to  a  man  who  was  nearing  his  inauguration  under  such 
trying  circumstances. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  invited  to  honor  Philadelphia  with 
a  visit,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  Washington's 
birthday.  This  he  readily  accepted ;  and  he  raised  the 
American  flag,  which  is  so  dear  to  every  loyal  heart,  over 
Independence  Hall.  It  was  here  that  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  was  signed  nearly  one  hundred  years 
before. 

The  next  visit  was  paid  to  Harrisburg,  where  a  rumor 
reached  the  ears  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  friends,  that  a  plot  was  laid 
to  assassinate  him  the  following  day,  as  he  should  pass  through 
Baltimore.  So  sure  were  they  that  their  information  was 


r 
34       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War,     [1860. 

trustworthy,  that  they  urged  him  to  hurry  to  Washington 
without  stopping  anywhere.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  a  bit  of 
a  coward,  and  he  was  therefore  naturally  very  unwilling  to 
change  his  plans ;  but,  always  willing  to  yield  unimportant 
points,  he  gave  way  to  the  wishes  of  the  gentlemen  who 
escorted  him.  Taking  a  night-train  therefore,  like  any  other 
passenger,  instead  of  waiting  until  morning,  as  had  been 
intended,  he  went  straight  to  Washington.  This  was  wise, 
of  course ;  but  many  of  his  warm  friends  in  Baltimore  were 
rather  hu^t  by  it. 

Still,  the  nation  could  afford  to  take  no  risks  at  this  point 
in  its  history;  and  the  visit  to  Baltimore  was  put  off  till 
'another  time. 

When  the  4th  of  March  had  come,  there  were  two  gov 
ernments,  all  officered,  within  the  boundary  of  the  United 
States.  No  doubt  President  Buchanan  gladly  left  the  chair 
of  State,  where  he  had  sat  so  uneasily ;  but  one  would  think 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  would  shrink  from  occupying  it.  The  out 
look  was  indeed  a  stormy  one. 

Just  as  the  blacksmith  makes  iron  tough  and  strong  by 
heat  and  heavy  blows,  so  Abraham  Lincoln's  character  had 
been  developed  by  poverty  and  hardships. 

He  was  born  in  Kentucky.  His  father  was  very  poor,  and 
the  boy  had  never  even  heard  of  luxuries.  He  had  scarcely 
the  necessities  of  life,  but  he  was  never  known  to  complain 
of  his  hard  lot :  perhaps  he  never  thought  about  his  own 
wants  at  all.  He  used  to  work  all  day,  and  at  night  he  would 
read  borrowed  books  by  firelight.  When  his  name  came 
before  the  nation  as  a  candidate  for  its  highest  honor,  he  was 
called  the  "  Rail-splitter."  This  was  because  he  helped  his 
father  to  split  the  rails  with  which  to  fence  the  farm  after 
the  family  removed  to  Illinois. 

But  neither  Mr.  Lincoln  nor  his  party  was  ashamed  of  the 
name,  or  of  the  reason  for  it.  His  whole  life  had  been  free 


LINCOLN    AS    A    RAIL-SPLITTER. 


i86i.]  A  Spark  in  a  Powder- Magazine .  37 

from  vice.  He  even  "  shunned  the  appearance  of  evil,"  as, 
step  by  step,  he  rose  through  his  own  industry  to  the  highest 
place  that  an  American  can  desire.  Just  now  it  seemed 
providential  that  such  a  man  should  be  chosen  to  fill  this 
office,  when  wisdom  and  firmness  and  patience  were  so  much 
needed  to  untangle  the  political  snarl. 

As  you  already  know,  South  Carolina  had  seceded  from 
the  Union   in  December,  1860,  soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln  was 


A    VOLUNTEER    DRUM-CORPS. 


elected ;  and  the  Confederacy  was  formed  early  in  the  year 
of  1861. 

On  the  4th  of  March  in  that  year,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  inau 
gurated.  This  means  that  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the  steps 
on  the  east  front  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  in  the  pres 
ence  of  thousands  of  people,  and,  lifting  up  his  right  hand 
toward  Heaven,  he  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
Government  and  the  Laws. 

An  oath  is  a  solemn  promise,  which  God  is  called  upon  to 
hear ;  and  he  who  makes  it  asks  God's  help  in  keeping  it, 
calling  upon  Him  to  punish,  if  it  should  be  broken.  Now 
you  see  what  a  fearful  thing  it  was  for  the  trusted  servants 


38        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

of  the  Government,  both  in  civil  and  military  offices,  to 
betray  their  country  after  having  taken  the  oath  of  loyalty ; 
for  every  person  who  holds  such  office  must  take  it. 

Well,  Mr.  Lincoln  made  an  address  before  he  received 
his  oath  of  office,  as  it  is  called,  telling  the  people  what  he 
meant  to  do.  He  promised  to  see  that  the  laws  were  obeyed, 
and  that  no  blood  should  be  shed  except  in  the  defence  of 
those  laws,  if  it  should  become  necessary.  There  is  one 
clause  in  this  speech  which  shows  that  the  new  President 
was  well  aware  of  his  position  :  — 

"/«  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow-countrymen,  and 
not  in  mine"  he  said,  "is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war. 
The  Government  will  not  assail  you.  You  can  have  no  con 
flict,  without  being  yourselves  the  aggressors.  You  have  no 
oath  registered  in  Heaven  to  destroy  the  Government ;  while 
I  shall  have  the  most  solemn  one  to  'preserve,  protect,  and 
defend  it:  " 

A  few  weeks  after  the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  the 
whole  world  was  startled  by  the  news  that  the  rebels  had 
fired  upon  Fort  Su niter. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  while  President  Buchanan  was 
"  doubting  and  debating,"  the  Confederates  had  built  bat 
teries  around  Sumter  in  every  direction,  and  had  assembled 
a  large  force  in  Charleston,  under  the  command  of  General 
Beauregard. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln  had  authority  to  do  so,  after  he 
came  to  his  office,  he  gathered  his  Cabinet  to  consult  about 
the  best  means  of  sending  relief  to  Major  Anderson  at  Fort 
Sumter,  and  to  Lieutenant  Slemmer  at  Fort  Pickens,  both 
of  whom  were  in  sore  distress.  The  names  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
cabinet  were  :  — 

William  H.  Sevvard,  Secretary  of  State ;  Salmon  P.  Chase, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  Simon  Cameron,  Secretary  of 
War ;  Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Caleb  B. 


i86i.|  A   Spark  in  a  Powder-Magazine.  39 

Smith,  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  Edward  Bates,  Attorney- 
general  ;  Montgomery  Blair,  Postmaster-general. 

The  last  two  were  Southern  men ;  but  there  was  no  slave 
holder  in  the  Cabinet,  —  a  thing  which  had  never  happened 
before  since  the  formation  of  the  Government. 

It  was  finally  decided  to  fit  out  an  expedition  under  Cap 
tain  Fox,  which  should  carry  "  provision  only  "  to  Sumter ; 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  sent  a  messenger  to  Governor  Pickens  to 
declare  this  intention.  Immediately  upon  receiving  this  com 
munication,  the  Confederates  determined  to  attack  Sumter 
without  delay,  in  case  Major  Anderson  should  refuse  to  sur 
render  peaceably.  Therefore,  on  the  nth  of  April,  General 
Beauregard  notified  Major  Anderson  that  he  must  leave  Fort 
Sumter  at  once.  In  reply,  Major  Anderson  said,  that,  if  he 
did  not  receive  instructions  or  supplies  from  his  Government 
by  the  i5th,  he  would  withdraw  his  command.  This  answer 
showed  plainly  that  he  expected  relief,  and  the  rebels  did  not 
choose  to  wait  for  it.  Other  messages  were  exchanged,  but 
General  Beauregard  was  not  satisfied  with  the  answers  to  his 
demands. 

All  that  night  the  bells  of  Charleston  rang  loudly  and  fast. 
As  the  sound  drifted  across  the  harbor  to  the  little  band  of 
loyal  men  in  the  threatened  fort,  they  knew  it  boded  no 
good  to  them. 

In  the  morning  very  early,  there  came  word  that  General 
Beauregard  would  bombard  the  fort  in  one  hour  if  not  sur 
rendered.  What  did  it  matter  to  heroes  like  these  ?  They 
were  doing  their  duty,  and  they  were  ready  for  the  conse 
quences.  Had  they  not  asked  God  to  bless  their  cause,  and 
to  protect  them  ? 

The  Confederates  had  meant  to  starve  this  little  garrison 
out ;  but,  with  the  possibility  of  help  very  near,  force  must 
be  resorted  to.  General  Beauregard  was  in  earnest.  With 
the  "first  gray  streak  of  the  morning  "  on  the  i2th  of  April, 


4O  *    Young  Folks '  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

the  first  shot  was  fired  in  the  battle  which  lasted  for  four 
years. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that  the  man  who  begged 
the  privilege  of  opening  the  civil  or  home  war,  was  an  old 
Virginian  named  Edmund  Ruffm.  His  whole  heart  was 
with  the  Confederacy,  and  when  he  knew  that  its  cause 
was  lost  he  took  his  life  with  his  own  hand. 

One  big  shell  came  crashing  into  the  fort,  then  another 
and  another,  until  all  the  batteries  which  had  been  built 
for  that  purpose  were  turned  upon  it.  The  reply  was  very 
faint  at  first.  As  usual,  the  soldiers  in  Sumter  prepared  and 
ate  breakfast.  They  knew  that  no  amount  of  cannonading, 
with  so  few  men  at  such  a  disadvantage,  could  defend  the 
fort  against  such  odds.  All  day  the  assault  continued,  and 
all  day  the  poor  fellows  returned  the  fire.  Very  often  the 
barracks,  where  the  soldiers  lived,  took  fire.  Their  stock  of 
ammunition  was  getting  low.  About  noon  three  ships  ap 
peared.  "These  must  bring  the  long-looked-for relief,"  they 
thought,  as  they  eagerly  watched  them  through  the  loop-holes. 

"Yes,  they  bear  the  Stars  and  Stripes  !  Now  they  are  dip 
ping  the  flag  for  a  signal,"  somebody  cried.  And,  although 
shot  and  shell  were  flying  about  the  parade-ground  where 
the  flagstaff  stood,  plenty  of  men  were  glad  to  risk  the 
danger,  for  the  pleasure  of  lowering  its  folds  in  reply.  But 
the  rebels  were  watching  too,  and  they  had  no  idea  of  let 
ting  these  strangers  pass  their  batteries.  By  a  misfortune 
the  little  fleet  had  become  separated ;  and  these  three  ves 
sels  were  not  able,  alone,  to  force  their  way  to  the  friends 
who  were  in  such  bitter  need  of  aid.  So,  with  relief  at  the 
very  door,  the  brave  band  at  Sumter  suffered  the  disappoint 
ment  of  seeing  these  "  three  ships  go  sailing  by,"  although 
they  were  "so  richly  laden  with  good  things  "  for  them. 

At  night  the  firing  from  the  rebels  grew  less  frequent,  and 
from  Sumter  it  ceased  altogether. 


isei.j  A   Spark  in  a  Poivder-Magazinc.  41 

The  next  morning,  however,  the  bombardment  began 
again  with  redoubled  fury.  The  suffering  to  the  garrison 
during  those  thirty-four  hours  can  scarcely  be  imagined. 
The  heat  of  the  sun,  together  with  the  glow  of  the  burning 
buildings,  became  intolerable. 

When  Mrs.  Anderson  paid  a  visit  to  her  husband  in  Sum- 
ter,  before  the  bombardment,  she  was  accompanied  by  Peter 
Hart,  "  an  officer  of  the  twentieth  ward  in  New-York  City." 
He  was  a  tried  and  faithful  friend  of  Major  Anderson,  and 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  remain  with  his  old  commander. 
He  was  at  length  given  permission  to  stay,  provided  that  he 
would  promise  not  to  fight.  This  promise  he  kept ;  but, 
when  the  fort  was  on  fire,  he  devoted  his  whole  strength  to 
putting  it  out,  saying,  "  I  did  not  promise  not  to  fight  fire." 

It  was  impossible  to  use  to  any  advantage  the  few  guns 
which  still  remained  in  working  order.  Now  and  then,  just 
by  way  of  an  emphatic  "no,"  a  few  shots  were  returned. 

A  great  deal  of  gunpowder  had  to  be  rolled  into  the  sea 
to  avoid  the  danger  of  explosion. 

At  noon  of  the  second  day  the  flagstaff  was  shot  away. 
Thfs  would  never  do.  Peter  Hart  had  another  chance  to 
save  his  country  without  fighting ;  so  he  rushed  through  the 
clouds  of  smoke,  and  the  hail  of  shot,  and  brought  the  flag 
away,  planting  it  upon  the  ramparts,  while  Major  Anderson 
and  his  soldiers  cheered.  But  at  last  the  end  came.  When 
the  fort  was  in  ruins,  a  messenger,  Mr.  Wigfall,  who  had  but 
lately  been  a  United  States  senator,  arrived,  bearing  a  white 
flag,  which  is  called  "  a  flag  of  truce,"  and  which  always  pro 
tects  its  bearer.  Mr.  Wigfall  brought  word  from  General 
Beauregard  that  Major  Anderson  was  at  liberty  to  choose  his 
own  terms  of  evacuation,  and  that  neither  he  nor  his  men 
should  be  molested.  We  say  a  place  is  evacuated  when  a 
force  is  withdrawn  from  it.  As  there  was  no  food  left,  but 
three  cartridges,  and  no  roof  to  shelter  his  men,  the  only 


42       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

thing   for  Major  Anderson    to    do  was    to    accept   General 
Beauregard's  offer. 

An  officer  gives  up  his  sword  when  he  surrenders  ;  but  Gen 
eral  Beauregard  returned  Major  Anderson's  sword,  saying, 
"  I  am  happy  to  return  the  sword  of  so  brave  an  officer." 
After  a  fervent  prayer  and  a  salute  of  fifty  guns,  the  national 
flag  was  hauled  down,  and  the  brave  defenders  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter  marched  out  of  it  with  the  honors  of  war.  With  flag 
flying,  and  drum  beating,  one  would  fancy  them  conquerors, 
rather  than  the  conquered.  That  day  the  names  of  that 


STEAM-FRIGATE. 

heroic  little  band  were  written  in  the  history  of  our  country, 
which  men  shall  read  with  thrilling  hearts  for  many  a  day  to 
come. 

Outside  the  harbor,  the  steamship  Baltic  was  lying ;  and 
to  her  the  Isabel  carried  them  in  safety. 

She  sailed  immediately  for  New  York,  with  the  flag  of 
Sumter  flying  at  her  peak.  Once  there,  Major  Anderson, 
and  those  who  had  stood  by  him,  received  a  cordial  welcome. 

It  was  very  remarkable  that  not  one  was  killed  or  wounded 
on  either  side  during  the  battle  of  those  two  dreadful  days. 


PLANTING    THli    FLAG   ON    THE    RAMPARTS. 


i86i.]  A   Spark  in  a  Powder-Magazine.  45 

One  man  was  accidentally  killed  at  Sumter  by  the  bursting 
of  a  gun,  which  might  have  happened  at  any  time ;  and  by 
the  explosion  of  a  pile  of  cartridges  several  were  wounded. 

A  few  days  after  the  battle,  some  gentlemen  visiting  the 
ruined  fort  found  a  newly  made  grave  in  the  parade-grounds, 
on  which  was  placed  the  rude  inscription  :  — 

"  DANIEL    HOWE, 

DIED    APRIL    4,    1861." 

This  was  the  poor  fellow  who  was  killed  by  the  explosion 
of  a  gun  in  saluting  the  flag. 

In  Charleston  the  people  were  almost  insane  with  joy 
over  this  empty  victory.  How  brave  the  Confederates  had 
been!  What  a  glorious  triumph  !  "Seven  thousand  fearless 
Confederates  with  seventy-five  cannon  had  routed  eighty- 
five  men  who  had  grown  lean  with  hunger,  and  out  of  whose 
guns  one  might  as  well  have  thrown  pills."  For  three  days 
this  dangerous  enemy  whom  the  rebels  had  put  to  flight 
had  been  feasting  upon  pork  and  water,  flour  having  been 
gone  since  the  day  before  the  bombardment. 

This  success,  no  doubt,  proved  to  the  rebels  that  the  Con 
federacy  was  far  more  powerful  than  the  Union  which  they 
had  so  lately  deserted.  Now  they  thought  their  troubles  all 
over.  Bonfires,  cannon,  bells,  and  shouts  mingled  in  the 
general  uproar.  The  roofs  of  houses  were  covered  with 
spectators  of  the  fight.  The  streets  were  thronged  with  ex 
cited  men  and  women  wearing  the  secession  badges,  and 
talking  treason  against  the  United  States. 

Nevertheless,  this  first  success  in  arms  for  the  Confeder 
acy  had  a  strong  influence  in  another  way.  Several  States 
in  sympathy  with  the  Rebellion,  that  had  been  timid  until 
now,  came  out  boldly,  and  joined  the  seceders. 

Virginia,  North  Carolina,  Tennessee,  and  Arkansas  also 


46       Young  Folks1  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

left  the  Union,  and  helped  to  swell  the  number.  The  Con 
federates  now  mustered  eleven  States. 

While  these  events  were  taking  place  in  Charleston  harbor, 
Lieutenant  Slemmer  of  the  regular  army  had  followed  Major 
Anderson's  example.  The  navy-yard  at  Pensacola,  Fla., 
had  been  given  up  by  its  commandant ;  and  the  neighboring 
garrison  at  Fort  Barrancas  was  held  by  a  little  band  of  forty- 
six  men  under  Lieutenant  A.  J.  Slemmer. 

Threatened  by  foes  in  every  direction,  he  determined  to 
change  his  position  ;  and,  being  joined  by  thirty  sailors  from 
the  navy-yard,  he  removed  his  company  to  Fort  Pickens, 
about  a  fortnight  after  Major  Anderson  left  Fort  Moultrie. 
Fort  Pickens  was  situated  in  the  mouth  of  Pensacola  Bay,  on 
Santa  Rosa  Island ;  and  it  was  much  easier  to  defend  than 
Fort  Barrancas.  Ships,  carrying  provisions  and  troops,  were 
sent  to  relieve  Lieutenant  Slemmer,  at  the  same  time  with 
the  expedition  to  Sumter,  and  luckily  they  arrived  safely. 
So,  when  a  Confederate  volunteer  force  besieged  him,  he 
was  prepared  to  defend  himself. 

But  anxiety  and  privation  and  fatigue,  which  Lieutenant 
Slemmer  and  his  men  had  borne  so  long,  left  them  ill,  and 
unfit  for  duty.  They  were  therefore  given  a  furlough,  or 
leave  of  absence,  and  were  allowed  to  return  to  the  North, 
while  Captain  Brown,  not  less  fearless,  assumed  command 
at  Fort  Pickens. 

Now  look  on  your  map,  to  the  left,  across  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  to  Texas.  Here  we  find  a  commander  of  a  very 
different  kind.  General  Twiggs,  military  chief  of  the  depart 
ment  of  Texas,  under  the  United  States,  betrayed  his  entire 
army  and  all  the  Government  forts,  arsenals,  and  arms,  into 
the  hands  of  the  rebels,  without  a  struggle.  This  happened 
about  the  middle  of  February ;  and  it  was  considered  such 
unpardonable  treachery,  that  General  Twiggs  was  "  dishonor 
ably  dismissed  "  from  the  service,  on  the  ist  of  March. 


i86x.i  A  Call  for  Help.  47 


CHAPTER   IV. 

A    CALL    FOR    HELP. 

AFFAIRS  had  now  taken  a  serious  turn.  You  remem 
ber  that  Sumter  was  surrendered  on  Sunday  the  i4th 
of  April. 

In  the  newspapers  the  next  morning,  millions  of  eager, 
anxious  citizens,  read  the  thrilling  story,  and  were  grieved 
and  indignant.  But  in  another  column,  with  staring  head 
lines  to  attract  attention,  there  came  a  despatch  which  pro 
duced  a  very  different  feeling. 

The  President  called  for  seventy-five  thousand  men  to 
take  arms  in  defence  of  the  Union.  Not  only  had  the 
national  flag  been  insulted,  the  Capital  was  already  threat 
ened.  The  Confederacy  had  laid  its  plans  well.  For  a  long 
time  it  had  been  whispered  that  Washington  was  in  danger : 
information  was  now  received,  which  proved  that  instant 
measures  must  be  taken  to  defend  the  city. 

A  large  force  was  to  overpower  the  small  guard  at  Har 
per's  Ferry, — just  as  John  Brown  had  done,  —  to  seize  these 
very  guns,  and  under  cover  of  the  night  to  go  down  the 
Potomac,  and  surprise  the  Capital.  This  could  be  done  with 
the  greatest  ease,  because  the  Confederacy  still  had  many 
friends  in  Washington  whose  aid  was  looked  for.  Hand  in 
hand  with  the  movement  upon  Washington,  it  was  agreed 
to  stop  any  troops  that  might  be  sent  from  the  North,  as 
they  passed  through  Baltimore.  So  the  story  ran.  Gen 
eral  Winfield  Scott  was  Commander-in-chief  of  the  army, 


48       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

under  the  President.  Although  he  was  an  old  man,  and 
a  Virginian,  he  was  both  loyal  and  prompt,  as  we  shall 
see. 

On  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration,  General 
Scott  had  assembled  a  considerable  military  force  in  Wash 
ington  to  prevent  trouble,  and  he  had  wisely  kept  a  large 
proportion  there  for  the  same  purpose.  As  soon  as  Sumter 
was  surrendered,  President  Lincoln  and  General  Scott  began 
to  prepare  for  the  "  surprise  party  " 
which  the  rebels  intended  for  them. 
Mr.  Lincoln  telegraphed  to  the 
governor  of  every  State  in  the 
Union  that  he  needed  soldiers  to 
defend  the  country  against  her 
own  children.  How  do  you  think 
loyal  people  treated  this  cry  for 
help  ?  Do  you  suppose  they  asked 
for  time  to  think  about  it?  Not 
they.  They  answered  the  first 


GENERAL   SCOTT. 


All  party  feeling  was  wiped  out.  There  were  no  longer 
Democrats  and  Republicans.  Everybody  became  a  Union 
ist  or  a  Secessionist.  There  was  no  half-way  ground.  Those 
who  were  not  for  the  Union  were  against  it,  and  such  peo 
ple  were  not  very  comfortable  at  the  North.  Not  only  did 
seventy-five  thousand  men  rush  to  arms,  and  hurry  to  the 
rescue  ;  but  in  twenty-four  hours  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou 
sand  were  ready  and  eager  to  go.  Many  received  the  mes 
sage  at  night,  and  were  on  the  way  to  the  Capital  in  the 
morning.  We  call  these  soldiers  volunteers,  because  they 
offered  their  services  to  the  Government,  instead  of  being 
ordered  to  go,  like  regular  soldiers. 

You  know  that  every  town  or  city  has  one  military  com 
pany,  and  often  several,  which  are  made  up  of  business 


7 


i86i.j  A   Call  for  Help.  51 

men  who  drill  for  amusement  and  exercise.  Of  course, 
these  were  the  first  to  go,  as  they  were  all  ready,  being 
armed  and  uniformed. 

Besides  the  volunteer  soldiers,  there  was  a  regular  or  stand 
ing  army,  paid  by  the  Government,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
fight  whenever  it  was  needed.  But  we  had  been  at  peace 
for  so  many  years,  that  this  force  had  grown  to  be  very  small. 
Then,  too,  we  must  remember  that  the  greater  part  of  this 
army  was  stationed  in  the  West  to  defend  the  frontier,  or 
farthest  settlements,  against  the  Indians.  It  would  require 
time  to  bring  these  troops  East,  and  it  was  not  safe  to  with 
draw  them  from  their  present  position.  Nearly  all  the  offi 
cers  in  the  Confederacy  had  been  officers  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States  when  South  Carolina  seceded.  They 
forgot  who  had  fed  and  reared  them,  forgot  their  oath  of 
loyalty,  and  deserted  their  country  to  take  up  arms  against 
her. 

Perhaps  you  will  the  better  understand  how  grave  a  step 
this  was,  when  you  read  the  oath  which  they  had  taken  :  — 

"  I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will  bear  true  allegiance  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  that  I  will  serve  them  honestly  and  faithfully 
against  all  their  enemies  or  opposers  whatsoever,  and  observe  and 
obey  the  orders  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  orders 
of  the  officers  appointed  over  me  according  to  the  rules  and  articles  of 
the  government  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States." 

I  have  told  you  all  this,  that  you  may  be  able  to  see  why 
things  were  in  such  a  tangle,  and  why  we  were  not  ready  to 
go  to  war. 

Every  Northern  State  sent  its  quota,  or  proportion,  of 
volunteers,  in  a  twinkling  :  but  many  Southern  States  returned 
very  impertinent  answers  to  the  President ;  while  a  few  were 
hesitating,  or,  as  they  called  themselves,  "  neutral ;  "  which 
means,  literally,  taking  no  part  in  a  quarrel. 

The  District  of  Columbia,  in  which  the  city  of  Washing- 


52        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

ton  lies,  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Potomac  River,  and  is 
only  ten  miles  square.  Slaves  were  owned  in  this  district ; 
and  excepting  that  it  was  not  represented  in  Congress,  and 
that  its  people  were  not  allowed  to  vote  for  any  officer  of 
the  General  Government,  it  was  like  any  Southern  State. 
This  was  unfortunate,  because  its  natural  sympathy  with 
the  slaveholding  States  made  it  a  very  dangerous  neighbor 
hood  for  the  threatened  Capital.  It  was  impossible  to  be 
sure  of  friend  or  foe  in  those  dark  days ;  and  loyal  Unionists 
began  to  feel  that  the  safety  of  the  city  depended  upon 
themselves  alone.  So  they  managed  quietly  to  arrange  for  a 
secret  meeting  to  be  held  on  that  Saturday  night,  April  14, 
in  an  old  church  in  the  rear  of  Willard's  Hotel,  to  talk  the 
matter  over,  and  to  fix  upon  some  plan  of  concerted  action 
for  the  city's  safety.  These  gentlemen,  among  whom  were 
some  very  distinguished  men,  took  care  that  no  surprise 
should  occur ;  for  they  themselves  patrolled  the  streets  until 
the  city  was  furnished  with  a  military  force  sufficient  to 
protect  it. 

So  prompt  were  volunteers  to  answer  the  President's  call, 
that,  as  early  as  Monday  night,  several  Pennsylvania  compa 
nies  had  already  arrived.  If  you  will  look  at  your  map,  you 
will  see  that  only  a  few  hours  were  necessary  to  reach  Wash 
ington,  from  that  State. 

General  Scott  quartered  soldiers  in  the  East  Room  of 
the  White  House,  where  for  many  weeks  they  remained  for 
the  safety  and  defence  of  the  President.  The  Capitol  and 
the  Treasury  Building  were  barricaded,  and  cannon  were 
placed  inside.  The  gay  city  of  Washington  soon  presented 
a  most  warlike  appearance. 

The  very  first  full  regiment  to  respond  to  the  call  to  arms, 
was  the  Massachusetts  Sixth,  one  thousand  strong.  It  ar 
rived  in  Baltimore  on  Friday,  at  noon,  at  about  the  same 
time  with  several  companies  of  Pennsylvania  volunteers.  In 


A   Call  for  Help. 


53 


those  days  the  cars  were  drawn  from  one  station  to  another 
through  the  city  by  horses,  instead  of  engines. 

The  train  bringing  the  Massachusetts   Sixth  was  a   long 
one,  and  several  cars  were  allowed  to  pass  unmolested.     An 


THROUGH     BALTIMORE. 


angry  crowd  had  quickly  gathered,  however ;  and  it  began 
attacking  the  rear  of  the  train,  growing  more  savage  each 
moment.  Sand,  stones,  and  bricks  were  used  to  pelt  the 
unoffending  soldiers.  As  the  colonel  and  his  staff  were  in 
the  first  car,  they  did  not  know  of  the  riot  that  was  in 
progress ;  and  thus  there  was  no  one  at  hand  to  give  orders. 


54        Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1861. 

At  last  the  men  made  up  their  minds  that  a  march  of  two 
miles  would  be  better  than  waiting,  for  the  track  before 
them  had  been  obstructed  by  rails  and  stones.  Under  the 
command  of  Captain  Follansbee  they  formed,  and  pressed 
their  way  toward  the  Washington  station,  followed  by  a  howl 
ing  mob.  Before  long  the  mayor  came  out  to  them,  and 
walked  in  front ;  but  this  was  only  a  partial  protection. 
Afterward  Marshal  Kane,  the  chief  of  the  police  force  of 
Baltimore,  arrived  with  a  squad  of  policemen,  who  placed 
themselves  between  the  rioters  and  soldiers.  This  served 
to  diminish  the  danger  of  the  march ;  but,  notwithstanding 
the  efforts  of  the  city  authorities,  three  men  were  killed  and 
several  wounded  before  the  Massachusetts  Sixth  reached 
the  Washington  station.  The  remaining  Philadelphia  troops 
were  also  attacked  in  a  similar  way ;  but  Marshal  Kane  per 
suaded  them  to  return  to  Philadelphia  for  the  present,  with 
out  risking  the  danger  of  crossing  the  city  in  the  alarming 
state  of  public  feeling.  Before  the  next  morning  several 
railroad-bridges  had  been  burned  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Baltimore  by  these  very  rioters,  encouraged  to  do  so  by  the 
authorities.  This  was  done  to  prevent  other  troops  from 
passing  through  the  city. 

Virginia  went  through  the  formality  of  secession,  on  the 
1 7th  of  April.  The  next  day  Governor  Letcher  pushed  his 
State  troops  toward  Harper's  Ferry.  General  Scott  had  wished 
to  place  a  strong  guard  at  that  point ;  but,  unfortunately,  not 
one  company  could  be  spared.  When  Lieutenant  Jones, 
who  was  in  command,  heard  that  the  rebels  were  so  near,  he 
set  fire  to  the  government  buildings,  and  with  his  few  men 
retreated  into  Pennsylvania.  Of  course,  he  destroyed  this 
property  to  keep  it  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Con 
federates,  as  he  had  no  way  of  protecting  it.  Although  the 
loss  was  great,  a  large  part  of  the  machinery  and  stores  was 
saved.  The  rebels  soon  congregated  here  in  great  numbers. 


isei.i  A   Call  for  Help.  55 

and  it  was  supposed  that  they  intended  attacking  Washington 
whenever  they  should  be  strong  enough. 

Misfortunes  seemed  to  pursue  the  Unionists ;  for,  the  day 
following  the  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry,  another  disaster 
occurred.  The  number  of  ships  in  the  United  States  navy 
had  become  very  small,  for  the  same  reason  that  the  army  had 
decreased,  —  we  had  been  a  peaceful  nation  so  long.  Only 
think,  from  one  end  of  our  wide  seacoast  to  the  other,  there 
were  but  ninety  men-of-war  to  protect  it  from  outside  ene 
mies.  One-ninth  of  this  whole  number  had  in  some  way 
gotten  into  Gosport  navy-yard,  at  Norfolk,  Va. ;  and  these 
happened  to  be  some  of  the  best.  Besides  the  ships,  there 
were  about  two  thousand  cannon,  and  large  quantities  of 
ammunition  and  military  stores,  —  such  as  small-arms,  swords, 
and  every  thing  that  is  used  in  a  fort.  All  this  was  worth 
more  than  two  millions  of  dollars.  The  officer  under  whose 
charge  the  navy-yard  was  placed  was  no  longer  young,  which, 
perhaps,  accounts  for  the  tardiness  with  which  he  obeyed 
orders.  He  was  directed  to  put  the  Gosport  navy-yard  in 
a  state  of  defence,  which  he  could  easily  have  done  if  he 
had  not  been  so  slow.  Governor  Letcher,  suspecting  that 
the  valuable  ships  and  ammunition  would  soon  be  with 
drawn,  sank  small  vessels  in  the  channel  in  order  to  ob 
struct  it.  Since  the  commandant  did  not  promptly  obey 
his  orders,  Captain  Paulding  was  sent  to  see  that  the  work 
was  done.  He  found  that  all  the  ships  had  been  actually 
scuttled,  excepting  the  Cumberland,  which  had  been  saved 
to  carry  away  his  command.  To  scuttle  a  ship,  is  to  bore 
holes  in  its  bottom  and  sides,  so  that  water  may  come  in 
and  sink  it. 

Captain  Paulding  brought  with  him  men  enough  to  defend 
the  navy-yard  against  an  attack,  but  he  found  himself  too 
late.  So  he  immediately  put  every  thing  which  was  mov 
able,  such  as  side-arms,  revolvers,  ammunition,  and  stores, 


56        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

on  board  the  Pawnee,  and  destroyed  all  that  he  could  not 
carry  away.  The  last  thing  that  was  done  was  to  lay  a  train 
of  powder  to  the  barracks  and  to  the  ships,  as  well  as  to  the 
magnificent  dry-dock.  Scarcely  had  the  Pawnee  got  out  into 
the  river,  when  a  rocket  was  sent  up,  followed  by  a  terrific 
crash.  It  was  the  explosion  of  the  powder-trains,  and  the  dis 
charge  of  the  guns  on  the  burning  ships.  Never  were  such 
fireworks  seen  before.  The  Pawnee,  which  had  brought  Cap 
tain  Paulding  to  the  navy-yard,  soon  towed  the  Cumber 
land  away  by  the  red  light  of  the  burning  ships.  But  as 
at  Harper's  Ferry,  although  Gosport  navy-yard  had  been 
destroyed  to  save  it  from  the  rebels,  the  work  of  ruin  had 
not  been  half  done.  As  soon  as  the  flames  had  burned  low, 
the  Confederates  hurried  in,  and  undid  nearly  all  the  harm 
which  had  been  done.  By  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning 
many  of  the  disabled  cannon  were  ready  to  fire  at  any  one 
who  might  object  to  the  Confederate  possession  of  the  fort 
ress. 

There  is  a  story,  that  the  famous  dry-dock  was  saved  by 
a  little  rebel  boy.  Unobserved,  he  had  watched  the  prepa 
rations  to  destroy  it.  He  knew,  no  doubt,  that  it  was  very 
valuable  to  the  Confederacy.  The  train  of  powder  which  was 
to  be  lighted  was  laid  along  a  row  of  planks ;  and,  when  the 
Unionists  had  left  the  yard,  he  turned  a  plank  over,  cutting 
off  the  line  of  powder,  and  preventing  an  explosion.  The 
steam  frigate  Merrimac  was  afterward  raised  by  the  rebels, 
and  made  over  into  an  iron-clad  war  vessel  called  the  Vir 
ginia. 

When  General  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  in  command  of  the  Mas 
sachusetts  Eighth  Regiment,  arrived  with  his  troops  at  the 
Susquehanna  River,  he  learned  that  all  the  bridges  around 
Baltimore  had  been  burned.  So  he  seized  a  ferry-boat,  and 
went  by  water  to  Annapolis,  thus  going  around  Baltimore. 
There  is  a  naval  school  at  Annapolis,  where  boys  are  taught 


iMi.]  A   Call  for  Help.  57 

every  thing  necessary  for  a  seaman  to  know.  The  old 
United  States  frigate  Constitution  —  ''Old  Ironsides"  she 
was  often  called  —  was  used  for  a  training-ship  for  this 
school. 

General  Butler  found  out  that  the  rebels  meant  to  take 
possession  of  her,  and  he  determined  to  save  her  from  such 
an  inglorious  fate.  So  he  drew  his  regiment  up  in  line  ;  and, 
after  the  necessary  explanation,  he  said,  "  Boys,  is  there  any 
one  among  you  who  can  sail  her?"  And  more  than  fifty 
men  stepped  out  of  the  ranks,  who  were  able  seamen,  one 
of  whom  was  the  son  of  the  builder. 

The  Constitution  was  built  in  1797.  First  manned  by 
a  Massachusetts  man,  after  all  the  heroic  deeds  she  had 
taken  part  in,  it  seemed  only  fair  that  a  Massachusetts  man 
should  have  the  chance  of  saving  her  to  do  the  first  work 
for  the  Union  in  the  civil  war.  For  four  days  her  officers 
and  crew  stood  by  their  guns ;  and  it  was  only  with  great 
difficulty,  and  by  constant  watchfulness,  that  she  was  gotten 
over  the  bar,  and  towed  around  to  New  York.  As  we  shall 
not  have  occasion  to  speak  of  this  good  ship  again,  perhaps 
you  would  like  to  know  what  became  of  her.  She  was  "  put 
out  of  commission  "  only  very  lately,  having  been  in  service 
eighty-four  years.  She  had  been  pronounced  unseaworthy 
years  before ;  and  the  navy  department  had  decided  to 
"break  her  up,"  when  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  wrote 
a  stirring  bit  of  poetry  about  it,  which  roused  the  whole 
nation  to  protest  against  it,  and  the  idea  was  given  up. 

On  the  1 5th  of  December,  1881,  however,  she  was  towed 
from  her  dock  in  the  New-York  navy-yard  to  the  Brooklyn 
navy-yard,  where  she  was  officially  abandoned.  It  was  a  sad 
sight  to  see,  almost  like  the  burial  of  a  good  old  friend. 
All  the  officers  of  the  naval  station,  as  well  as  many  private 
citizens,  were  present,  and  watched  in  tearful  silence  the 
national  flag,  as  it  was  hauled  down  for  the  last  time. 


58        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [isei. 

Now  that  General  Butler  had  gotten  the  Constitution  into 
loyal  hands,  he  set  off  with  his  command  for  Washington,  in 
company  with  the  famous  New  York  Seventh,  under  Colonel 
Lefferts.  In  many  places  the  railroad-track  had  been  torn 
up.  Engines  had  been  disabled  and  bridges  burned.  On 
the  way,  General  Butler  needed  a  skilled  workman  to  assist  in 
repairing  a  locomotive.  A  bright  Yankee  immediately  offered 
his  services.  Picking  up  some  plate  or  screw  belonging  to 
the  locomotive  to  examine  it,  his  eyes  brightened  ;  and  he 
said  quietly,  "  I  guess  I  can  fix  that  engine,  for  I  helped  to 
make  it." 

Of  stuff  like  this  the  Union  army  was  made.  Well,  the 
New  York  Seventh  found  a  train  waiting,  when,  after  a 
hungry  journey,  half  marching,  half  by  rail,  they  reached 
Annapolis  Junction.  In  a  little  while  they  were  aboard ; 
and  they  soon  found  themselves  in  Washington,  receiving 
hearty  welcome  and  congratulations  on  all  sides.  Other 
regiments  kept  pouring  in  from  day  to  day,  till,  at  the  end 
of  April,  not  less  than  fifty  thousand  men  held  the  line  of 
the  Potomac,  and  guarded  the  Capital. 

Who  knows  what  a  pirate  is  ?  Perhaps  you  will  be  sur 
prised  to  hear  that  the  President  of  the  Confederacy  gave 
pirates  the  right  to  do  business  under  the  protection  of  the 
"  Stars  and  Bars."  This  was  called  giving  "  letters  of  marque 
and  reprisal."  In  plain  English,  it  was  an  act  to  license 
robbery  on  the  high  seas,  which  was  no  better  than  highway 
robbery  anywhere  else. 

In  his  proclamation,  Mr.  Davis  invited  "all  those  who 
may  desire  "  to  fit  out  privateers  under  the  seal  of  the  Con 
federate  States,  for  the  purpose  of  preying  upon  merchant- 
ships  carrying  the  national  flag.  This  was  very  tempting  to 
adventurers  ;  for,  of  course,  those  who  captured  a  "  prize,"  as 
it  was  called,  received  a  good  share  of  the  value  when  the 
ship  and  its  cargo  were  sold.  At  the  end  of  May,  in  the 


i   *      Tfl 


i86i.]  A   Call  for  Help.  6\ 

port  of  New  Orleans  alone,  there  were  twenty  prize-ships  ; 
and  other  seaports  had  their  share  of  spoils  also. 

In  return  for  Mr.  Davis's  neighborly  action,  Mr.  Lincoln 
immediately  ordered  the  blockade  of  every  port  on  the 
coast  of  the  seceding  States.  Men-of-war  were  so  placed 
as  to  command  the  harbors,  and  thus  "prevent  all  commerce 
with  foreign  nations.  Cotton,  sugar,  and  tobacco  were  the 
chief  products  upon  which  the  Southern  States  depended  for 
an  income.  When,  therefore,  there  was  no  longer  any  way 
to  exchange  these  for  other  goods,  their  case  would  become 
desperate  indeed ;  for  there  were  no  manufactories  within 
the  borders  of  the  Confederacy.  They  needed  arms,  am 
munition,  clothing,  and  all  kinds  of  provisions ;  while  the 
blockade  was  intended  to  keep  their  ships  from  going  out  to 
get  such  supplies. 

As  fast  as  possible,  the  nationals  armed  and  fitted  up 
merchant-vessels  to  serve  as  blockaders,  in  order  to  relieve 
men-of-war  for  other  duty.  In  Charleston  harbor  a  stone 
blockade  was  also  employed.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  the 
dangers  which  must  be  risked,  a  great  many  vessels  of  all 
kinds  did  get  in  and  out  of  the  blockaded  ports  without 
accident  or  detection,  and  they  were  therefore  called  "  block 
ade-runners."  A  daring  little  schooner  named  the  Savan 
nah,  carrying  only  one  gun,  stole  out  of  Charleston  harbor, 
and  put  to  sea  to  watch  for  a  prize.  She  had  not  long  to 
wait ;  for  the  very  next  day  she  seized  the  brig  Joseph, 
loaded  with  sugar  for  Philadelphia.  The  privateer  put  an 
armed  crew  on  the  Joseph ;  and  then,  elated  by  her  suc 
cess,  she  devoted  herself  to  looking  for  more  prizes.  About 
five  o'clock  that  afternoon  anqther  brig  came  in  sight.  Away 
went  the  Savannah  in  pursuit.  When  the  two  ships  were  near 
enough,  the  privateer  made  the  startling  discovery  that  her 
neighbor  was  well  armed.  She  found,  to  her  cost,  that  she 
had  made  a  blunder ;  and  she  was  forced  to  surrender  to 


62        Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     fisex. 

what  proved  to  be  the  United  States  brig  Perry,  commanded 
by  Lieutenant  Parrott.  Her  officers  and  crew  were  sent  on 
their  own  ship  as  prisoners  to  New  York. 

The  Petrel,  once  a  United  States  revenue  cutter,  was  another 
pioneer  in  the  business  of  piracy.  She  also  ran  the  blockade 
at  Charleston  without  mishap.  She  soon  spied  the  United- 
States  frigate  St.  Lawrence,  and,  mistaking  her  for  a  merchant 
man,  immediately  gave  chase. 

Pretending  to  run  away,  the  St.  Lawrence  crowded  sail ; 
but,  when  the  Petrel  was  nearly  alongside,  she  opened  a 
broadside  upon  her,  which  sunk  her  in  a  few  minutes. 

A  few  of  her  crew  were  drowned ;  but  the  most  of  them 
were  "  fished  out  of  the  water  "  by  the  St.  Lawrence,  which 
turned  out  to  be  a  blockading  frigate  on  duty  when  she  was 
attacked  by  the  Petrel. 

The  very  first  privateer  that  bore  the  Confederate  flag  was 
called  the  Lady  Davis ;  which  was  rather  a  doubtful  compli 
ment  to  the  wife  of  President  Davis,  since  it  was  named  for 
her. 


i86i.i  The  Nation's  Answer.  63 


CHAPTER   V. 
THE  NATION'S  ANSWER. 

"  From  prairie,  O  ploughman  !  speed  boldly  away, 
There's  seed  to  be  sown  in  God's  furrows  to-day ; 
Row  landward,  lone  fisher  ;  stout  woodman,  come  home; 
Let  the  smith  leave  his  anvil,  and  weaver  his  loom; 
Let  hamlet  and  city  ring  loud  with  the  cry ; 
'  For  God  and  our  country  we'll  fight  till  we  die. 
Here's  welcome  to  wounding  and  conflict  and  scars, 
And  the  glory  of  death  for  the  stripes  and  the  stars.'  " 

IT  was  indeed  high  time  that  there  should  be  a  larger 
military  force  at  hand.  From  the  very  windows  of  the 
White  House,  could  be  distinctly  seen  a  rebel  flag  flying 
at  Alexandria.  The  Rebellion  was  growing  bolder,  without 
doubt. 

But  prompt  as  the  sailor's  "  Ay,  ay,  sir  ! "  when  his  captain 
orders  him  aloft  in  a  storm,  there  came  the  hearty  answer  of 
the  forty-two  thousand  men,  in  person  too,  which  was  worth 
a  dozen  promises. 

The  fall  of  Sumter  kindled  a  blaze  of  patriotism  from 
Maine  to  California.  Enthusiasm  knew  no  bounds.  It  was 
estimated  at  the  time,  that,  by  the  end  of  April,  three  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  men  stood  ready  and  willing  to  enter  the 
service  of  the  Government,  either  on  land  or  on  sea. 

Lads  were  eager  to  enlist,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
serve  as  drummer-boys  when  they  were  too  young  to  be 
accepted  for  the  ranks.  Old  men  forgot  their  stiff  joints, 
and  offered  themselves  to  their  country. 


64        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

A  story  is  told  of  Mr.  Bates,  of  Indiana,  who  enlisted,  and 
went  into  camp  with  his  regiment  at  Indianapolis.  When 
asked  his  age,  he  unwillingly  confessed  that  he  was  ninety- 
two  years  old ;  but  he  said  that  he  wished  to  show  young 
men  that  old  men  were  not  afraid  to  fight. 


SPIRIT    OF    THE    NORTH. 


In  Boston,  New  York,  and  Chicago,  mass  meetings  were 
held  daily  and  nightly,  where  speeches  were  made,  and  im 
mense  sums  of  money  subscribed,  for  the  support  of  the 
Government.  From  old  Trinity  Church,  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  an  immense  flag  floated,  two  hundred  and  forty  feet 
from  the  ground.  The  chimes  played  "  Yankee  Doodle," 
and  "The  Red,  White,  and  Blue;"  while  the  cheers  from 
the  throng  on  the  street  were  almost  deafening.  The  ladies 
of  New  York  held  a  meeting  at  the  Cooper  Institute,  to  or 
ganize  a  society  to  provide  "  care  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
of  the  army."  This  really  looked  like  war.  To  make  plans 
for  the  care  of  the  wounded,  showed  that  battles  were  already 


i86i.]  The  Nation's  Answer.  65 

thought  of;  and  yet  the  war  was  but  one  week  old.  The 
American  Express  Company  paid  one-half  his  salary,  dur 
ing  his  whole  term  of  service,  to  every  man  in  its  employ 
who  volunteered ;  and  it  transported  free  all  supplies  for 
hospitals.  The  teachers  in  the  Boston  public  schools  voted 
a  certain  proportion  of  their  salaries  to  carry  on  the  war. 
The  artists  of  New  York  contributed  pictures  to  be  sold 
for  the  benefit  of  the  families  of  volunteers.  Everybody, 
men,  women,  and  children,  caught  the  spirit,  and  tried  to 
do  something  for  the  Union. 

It  now  became  a  very  hard  matter  to  supply  cloth  enough 
to  make  uniforms  for  the  large  armies  which  had  so  suddenly 


i 


AID    SOCIETY. 


sprung  into  existence.  All  the  mills  in  New  England  were 
pressed  to  their  utmost  capacity  to  manufacture  army  cloth. 
At  the  request  of  the  operators  at  Lowell,  the  mills  were  kept 
going  night  and  day,  as  well  as  on  Sunday ;  and  the  mill- 
girls  gave  their  Sunday  wages  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers. 
Blue  was  the  color  of  the  uniform  for  the  Federal,  or  North 
ern  army ;  dark  blue,  for  officers ;  for  the  men,  dark  blue 
jackets,  and  trousers  of  light  blue. 


66        Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1861. 

The  Confederates  in  the  ranks  wore  cadet-gray  coats  and 
sky-blue  trousers ;  while  the  officers  were  dressed  in  dark- 
blue  cloth,  like  the  Union  army.  Now  that  the  Confederates 
were  really  organized,  they  gave  up  the  Palmetto  flag,  and 
made  a  new  one  to  take  the  place  of  it,  which  they  called 
the  "Stars  and  Bars."  It  had  but  three  bars,  red  at  the  top 
and  bottom,  with  white  in  the  centre ;  while  on  the  left-hand 
upper  corner,  on  a  blue  field,  were  nine  stars  arranged  in  a 
circle.  Which  of  my  readers  can  tell,  without  looking,  how 
the  stars  are  placed  in  the  national  flag,  or  how  many  stripes 
there  are  upon  it  ?  For  many  years  there  was  no  fixed  rule 
for  the  position  of  the  stars.  The  first  flag  had  thirteen  stars 
and  thirteen  stripes,  to  represent  the  thirteen  original  States. 

Now,  there  are  the  thirteen  stripes  still,  the  upper  and 
lower  stripes  being  red.  But  in  the  blue  field  in  the  upper 
left-hand  corner,  are  ranged  thirty-eight  stars,  in  lines  parallel 
with  the  stripes,  or  else  grouped  in  one  great  star. 

The  first  encounter  which  resulted  in  bloodshed  in  Virginia, 
was  caused  by  the  difference  in  the  way  in  which  the  red, 
white,  and  blue  were  arranged  on  a  certain  flag  in  Alexandria. 

Perhaps  some  of  my  readers  have  heard  of  Colonel  Elmer 
E.  Ellsworth,  who  commanded  the  New  York  Fire  Zouaves. 
"  Zouave  "  is  the  name  of  a  body  of  Arab  soldiers,  who  served 
France  after  she  conquered  Algiers.  The  dress  is  very  bright 
and  graceful,  and  was  worn  by  Ellsworth's  regiment.  The 
drill  was  quite  different  from  the  ordinary  military  exercise, 
and  was  much  admired. 

Colonel  Ellsworth  was  a  gifted  young  man  of  good  habits 
and  gentle  manners,  and  a  favorite  with  all  classes  of  society. 
He  first  drilled  a  company  of  Zouaves  in  Chicago,  where 
he  lived.  Every  member  of  this  company  was  pledged  to 
drink  no  liquor,  to  abstain  from  evil  habits  of  all  kinds,  and 
to  do  nothing  unbecoming  a  gentleman.  It  numbered  one 
hundred  men,  and  it  was  said  to  be  the  best-drilled  body 


The  Nation's  Answer. 


67 


in  the  United  States.  At  the  opening  of  the  war,  Colonel 
Ellsworth  went  to  New  York  City,  where,  from  the  fire  de 
partment,  he  organized  a  regiment  called  the  Fire  Zouaves ; 
and  they  were  among  the  first  to  go  to  Washington.  Toward 
the  end  of  May  it  was  thought  necessary,  for  the  safety  of 
the  Capital,  that  several  points  in  Virginia  should  be  oc 
cupied  by  Federal  troops.  Among  those  chosen  for  that 
purpose,  were  Colonel  Ellsworth's  Zouaves  and  the  First 


??"%?"     ~——^.~z-^.-  -~^—~\  •*=.— -~ — '=. — — 

-=rr-/»---       «•* 


ELLSWORTH    AND    HIS    ZOUAVES. 


Michigan  Regiment :  they  were  ordered  to  Alexandria,  which 
is  a  town  on  the  Potomac  but  a  few  miles  from  Washington. 
The  First  Michigan  Regiment  marched  along  the  river-bank  ; 
while  the  Zouaves  went  by  boat,  arriving  in  the  early  morn 
ing.  Ellsworth,  with  a  squad  of  men,  was  hastening  to  the 
telegraph-office  to  cut  off  communication  with  the  South, 
when  they  passed  the  Marshall  House.  Upon  the  roof  of 
this  hotel,  was  flying  the  rebel  flag  which  had  so  lately  been 
seen  in  Washington.  Ellsworth  was  indignant.  Quickly  en«- 
tering  the  house,  he  asked,  "  Who  put  that  flag  up?  "  Since 


68        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [iset. 

nobody  seemed  to  know,  he  ran  up-stairs,  and  tore  it  aown, 
bringing  it  with  him. 

As  Ellsworth  came  down  again,  a  man  named  Jackson 
sprang  out  of  a  passage,  and  shot  him  dead.  Quick  as 
thought  Brownell,  one  of  Ellsworth's  comrades,  fired  at 
Jackson,  instantly  killing  him.  But,  alas  !  it  did  not  bring 
back  to  life  the  friend  who  lay  dead  at  his  feet.  One  wrong 
is  never  righted  by  another. 

The  body  of  the  young  colonel  was  carried  reverently  back 
to  the  navy-yard  in  Washington,  and  placed  in  an  engine- 
house,  which  was  covered  with  flags  and  flowers  and  heavily 
draped  in  mourning.  Thousands  of  visitors  crowded  to  look 
upon  the  face  of  the  dead,  and  among  them  were  the  Presi 
dent  and  his  family.  Later,  the  coffin  was  carried  to  the 
White  House,  where  it  rested  in  the  East  Room  for  several 
hours,  and  where,  also,  the  funeral  services  were  held.  The 
President  and  several  members  of  the  Cabinet  followed  in 
the  mournful  procession  which  escorted  the  body  of  Ellsworth 
to  the  station,  whence  it  was  taken  to  the  home  of  his  parents 
at  Mechanicsville,  N.Y. 

While  this  sad  affair  was  taking  place  at  the  Marshall 
House  in  Alexandria,  the  telegraph-office  was  seized,  as  had 
been  intended.  The  First  Michigan  Regiment,  which  en 
tered  the  city  a  little  later,  took  possession  of  the  railroad 
station,  capturing  a  body  of  Confederate  cavalry.  Soldiers 
on  horseback  are  cavalry ;  infantry  means  soldiers  on  foot ; 
while  those  who  fight  with  cannon  are  called  artillery.  These 
explanations  are  especially  meant  for  girls  :  boys  know  about 
such  things  already. 

You  know  that  we  left  General  Butler  at  Annapolis.  It 
was  not  necessary  for  him  to  stay  there  long,  however ;  and 
he  knew  that  it  was  the  intention  of  General  Scott  to  occupy 
Baltimore  as  soon  as  there  should  be  a  force  sufficiently 
strong  to  do  so  safely.  So,  as  General  Butler  was  now  quite 


i86i.]  TJie  Nation's  Answer.  69 

ready  to  make  the  attempt,  he  led  his  command  forward, 
without  waiting  for  orders,  supposing  that  he  was  right  in 
taking  the  responsibility.  The  night  was  dark,  and  a  heavy 
rain  was  foiling,  when  nine  hundred  men,  with  General  Butler 
at  their  head,  entered  the  city,  and  quietly  took  possession 
of  Federal  Hill,  where  they  encamped. 

The  next  morning  the  citizens  of  Baltimore  read  in  their 
newspapers  a  proclamation  from  Federal  Hill,  which  aston 
ished  them ;  for  it  was  not  known,  until  then,  that  there  was 
an  army  in  their  midst.  Since  it  was  already  there,  how 
ever,  nobody  dared  to  object;  and,  as  General  Butler  had 
come  to  keep  peace  instead  of  breaking  it,  there  need  be 
no  trouble  about  it.  It  was  not  long  after  this,  before  Mary 
land  declared  herself  loyal  to  the  Government,  and  not  a 
rebel  flag  was  seen  in  the  State.  But  General  Scott  was 
Butler's  superior  in  rank,  that  is,  higher  than  he.  The  act 
of  occupying  Baltimore,  without  special  orders  to  do  so,  dis 
pleased  the  old  general-in-chief ;  and  he  took  occasion  to 
reprimand  General  Butler  for  it.  But  Mr.  Lincoln  was  very 
amiable  and  kind  ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  showed  Gen 
eral  Butler  that  his  services  were  appreciated,  by  promoting 
him  to  the  rank  of  major-general.  He  was  not  allowed  to 
remain  long  in  Baltimore,  but  was  ordered  to  the  command 
of  Fortress  Monroe,  on  a  peninsula  which  lies  between  the 
James  and  York  Rivers,  in  Virginia. 

General  Scott,  who  was  a  venerable,  white-haired  old  man, 
had  a  warm  heart,  but  an  exaggerated  idea  of  his  authority, 
and  the  respect  due  to  his  position  and  rank. 

One  day  early  in  the  war,  while  the  country  was  swarming 
with  raw  recruits  who  knew  nothing  of  military  etiquette, 
the  old  general  came  out  of  his  office  in  Washington  to 
enter  his  carriage.  An  orderly  stepped  up  to  him  with  a 
letter  which  he  had  been  directed  to  deliver  without  delay. 
Hastily  touching  his  cap  in  a  careless  way,  the  orderly  began, 


7O         Young  Folks '  History  of  the  Civil  War.      [1861. 

"  O  general !  here  is  a  paper  I  want  you  to  look  at  before 
you  "  —  For  an  instant  the  proud  commander-in-chief 
was  petrified ;  then,  raising  his  cane,  he  said  in  a  low  voice, 
"  *  Clear  out,  sir  !  clear  out  of  the  way  ! '  The  startled  orderly 
sprang  to  one  side,  and  the  general  got  into  his  carriage, 
and  was  driven  away.  The  soldier  then  delivered  his  letter 
to  some  one  in  the  office,  and  walked  slowly  out.  General 
Scott's  carriage  had  not  gone  thirty  rods  before  it  stopped 
and  turned  about.  The  driver,  raising  his  voice,  summoned 
the  offending  orderly  to  the  door.  Trembling  in  every  limb, 
cap  in  hand,  he  approached.  General  Scott  asked  his  name 
and  regiment.  He  gave  them.  '  Well,  sir,'  said  the  gen 
eral,  'report  to  your  colonel  that  you  were  guilty  of  gross 
disrespect  to  General  Scott  as  an  officer,  and  that  General 
Scott  was  guilty  of  gross  disrespect  to  you  as  a  man.  Gen 
eral  Scott  begs  your  pardon.  Go  to  your  duty,  sir.' "  Whether 
the  story  be  true  or  not,  the  characteristics  of  the  stanch 
old  general  and  martinet  might  have  made  such  a  scene 
easily  possible. 

Before  the  government  of  the  Confederate  States  was 
properly  officered,  Judge  Robinson  of  Richmond,  an  old 
friend  and  classmate,  paid  General  Scott  a  visit  for  the  pur 
pose  of  offering  him  the  command  of  all  the  Confederate 
forces.  As  soon  as  he  perceived  the  nature  of  his  friend's 
errand,  Scott  interrupted  him,  saying,  "Judge,  if  you  go 
any  further  in  making  me  such  a  proposition,  you  will  not 
be  permitted  to  return  to  Richmond,"  and  added,  "  having 
sworn  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  I 
realize  all  the  honorable  obligations  of  that  oath,  and  shall 
keep  them." 

The  day  after  General  Butler  took  command  of  Fortress 
Monroe,  he  sent  a  body  of  troops,  under  command  of  Colonel 
J.  W.  Phelps,  to  visit  the  little  village  of  Hampton,  near  by. 
To  their  astonishment,  it  was  discovered  that  the  rebels  had 


i86!.i  TJie  Nation's  Answer.  71 

set  on  fire  the  bridge  over  Hampton  Creek.  The  Green 
Mountain  Boys  quickly  put  out  the  flames,  however,  and, 
driving  off  the  enemy,  established  Camp  Hamilton,  not  far 
from  the  country-house  of  John  Tyler,  formerly  President  of 
the  United  States.  On  the  same  day  Colonel  Phelps  caused 
a  redoubt  to  be  cast  up  at  the  end  of  the  bridge  nearest 
Fortress  Monroe,  which  "  was  the  first  military  work  made 
by  Union  troops  on  the  soil  of  Virginia." 

A  few  days  later  Colonel  Phelps  and  his  Vermonters  were 
ordered  to  occupy  Newport  News,  under  the  protecting  guns 
of  the  United-States  steamer  Harriet  Lane.  Lieutenant 
John  T.  Greble  accompanied  Phelps  to  superintend  the 
erection  of  the  works.  The  post  was  named  "  Camp  Butler." 
At  the  same  time  Colonel  Duryea  with  his  fine  regiment 
of  Zouaves  arrived,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  at 
Fort  Hamilton,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  There 
were  many  people  in  and  around  Fortress  Monroe  that  sum 
mer  who  afterwards  distinguished  themselves  for  bravery. 
Among  these  were  Colonel  Edward  Baker  and  Captain 
Kilpatrick.  Major  Theodore  Winthrop,  Butler's  aide  and 
secretary,  already  enjoyed  some  literary  distinction.  Colonel 
Duryea  was  soon  succeeded  by  Brigadier-General  E.  W. 
Pierce  of  Massachusetts,  in  command  at  Fort  Hamilton. 

Fortress  Monroe  is  said  to  be  the  largest  single  fortifica 
tion  in  the  world.  The  famous  fortress  of  Gibraltar  occupies 
more  room,  it  is  true  ;  but  it  is  composed  of  several  separate 
forts  built  in  the  solid  rock,  while  Fortress  Monroe  is  but 
one.  On  the  25th  of  May  there  were  six  thousand  soldiers 
within  its  walls. 

A  great  many  negroes  ran  away  from  their  masters,  and 
came  into  this  fort  for  safety.  General  Butler  took  them  in, 
and  treated  them  kindly ;  but  he  did  not  allow  them  to  be 
idle.  Contrary  to  their  expectations,  perhaps,  he  set  them 
at  building  earthworks,  and  strengthening  fortifications,  which 
served  to  keep  them  out  of  mischief. 


72        Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1861. 

A  story  was  told  of  an  old  "  uncle,"  who  had  been  given 
a  pretty  hard  day's  work,  and  who,  when  night  came,  made 
up  his  mind  that  he  had  not  bettered  his  condition ;  and  so 
he  said,  "  I  b'l've  dis  yer  nigger'll  secede  once  moah." 

It  was  here  that  the  name  "  contraband  "  came  to  be  given 
to  slaves.  Goods  and  articles  which  may  be  used  to  aid  an 
enemy  in  carrying  on  warfare,  are  called  "  contraband,"  or 
forbidden.  General  Butler  thought  that  negroes  could  easily 
be  made  useful  to  their  masters  for  this  purpose  :  so  he 
called  them  contraband  of  war,  refusing  to  restore  them  to 
their  owners  when  they  were  sent  for.  The  name  clung 
to  the  colored  people  for  many  years. 

Old  Point  Comfort  was  the  name  of  the  peninsula,  or 
tongue  of  land,  upon  which  Fortress  Monroe  is  built.  It 
received  that  name  because  it  was  the  landing-place  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Virginia,  after  a  long  and  stormy  voyage. 
There,  also,  in  1620,  the  first  slaves  were  sold  in  this  coun 
try.  Was  it  not  a  piece  of  justice  that  they  should  find 
freedom  where  they  had  first  been  enslaved? 

General  Butler  found  his  neighbors  to  be  bitter  secession 
ists,  who  hated  the  Union,  its  army,  and  its  flag.  So  he 
took  possession  of  the  little  towns  of  Hampton  and  New 
port  News,  a  few  miles  distant  •  but  that  did  not  keep  the 
rebels  from  being  very  bold  and  saucy.  No  doubt  they 
thought  there  was  nothing  to  be  afraid  of. 

So  one  night  a  force,  under  the  direction  of  General  E.  W. 
Pierce,  started  upon  an  expedition  to  reconnoitre  for  several 
miles  to  the  north-east  of  Fortress  Monroe.  Reconnoitre 
is  a  French  word,  meaning  to  look  about,  or  examine. 
This  was  done  in  order  to  find  out  how  large  a  body  of 
Confederates  was  near.  By  a  sad  misfortune,  the  two  parts 
of  this  force,  starting  from  different  points,  met  in  the  dark 
near  a  place  north-east  of  Hampton,  called  Little  Bethel. 
Each  supposing  the  other  an  enemy,  they  both  opened  fire, 


i86i.]  The  Nation  s  Answer.  75 

Many  were  killed  and  wounded  before  the  mistake  was  dis 
covered.  Then  they  joined  in  the  attempt  to  attack  the 
Confederates  at  Little  Bethel.  Finding  their  camp  deserted, 
however,  General  Pierce  hastened  to  Big  Bethel,  farther  on. 
Here  he  came  unexpectedly  upon  more  than  one  thousand 
Confederates,  who  had  retreated  at  the  sound  of  firing,  and 
now  lay  behind  a  fine  barricade,  or  breastwork,  all  ready 
to  receive  General  Pierce  and  his  men.  A  sharp  skirmish 
followed,  lasting  several  hours.  The  nationals  were  badly 
beaten.  When  General  Pierce  retreated,  he  left  one  hun 
dred  men  on  the  battle-field.  Here  fell  young  Major  Win- 
throp,  so  gifted  and  full  of  promise.  But  he  met  death 
bravely,  leading  and  encouraging  his  men  to  the  cannon's 
mouth.  Failing  to  hear  the  order  to  retreat,  he  stood  almost 
alone  when  a  rebel  bullet  pierced  his  heart. 

Not  less  sad  was  the  loss  of  Lieutenant  John  T.  Greble  of 
the  regular  army ;  nor  was  his  death  less  heroic.  He  was 
killed  in  the  retreat  by  a  rifle-shot  as  he  was  firing  upon  the 
Confederates. 

But  there  were  also  heroes  among  non-commissioned 
officers.  Orderly-Sergeant  Goodfellow  was  wounded  in  the 
battle  of  Great  Bethel.  He  was  going  to  die.  As  his 
friends  gathered  around  him  with  offers  of  assistance,  he 
said,  "  Don't  mind  me,  boys  :  go  on  with  the  fight.  Don't 
stop  for  me  !  "  And  then  he  sank  upon  the  ground.  His 
colonel  came  near  at  that  moment;  and,  looking  up,  he 
said  pleasantly,  "  Good-by,  colonel,"  and  then  he  died. 

In  following  General  Butler's  command,  we  have  omitted 
many  other  important  events  that  have  occurred  in  the  mean 
time. 

It  is  to  the  credit  of  that  State,  that  all  Virginians  did  not 
share  the  feeling  of  those  near  Fortress  Monroe.  When 
the  vote  of  the  State  was  taken,  a  great  many  Virginians 
refused  to  consent  to  secession.  The  number  of  Unionists 


76        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil    War.     [1861. 

being  smaller  than  that  of  the  secessionists,  however,  of 
course  the  Unionists  had  to  submit.  But  after  a  while  these 
loyal  people  made  up  their  minds  that  they  would  not  give 
up  the  Union,  after  all.  So  a  convention  was  held  at  Wheel 
ing,  in  the  north-western  part  of  the  State,  to  consider  the 
matter.  The  result  was/that  every  man  present  cast  his  ballot 
for  the  division  of  the  State  rather  than  for  the  division  of 
the  nation. 

It  was  proposed  to  make  two  States  of  Virginia,  East  and 
West,  and  to  ask  Congress  to  receive  West  Virginia  into  the 
Union  again.  It  will  not  spoil  the  story  to  say  here,  that 
Congress  did  take  it  back  during  its  session  the  next  winter. 
How  West  Virginia  became  again  free  to  do  as  she  chose, 
will  be  told  hereafter. 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  was  nominated  for  President  by  the 
Republican  party,  Mr.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  the  Demo 
cratic  candidate  for  the  same  office.  But  that  he  was  not 
elected  does  not  mean  that  he  was  one  whit  less  loyal  and 
true  than  Mr.  Lincoln.  On  the  4th  of  June,  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  died  at  his  home  in  Chicago. 

These  two  opposing  politicians  were  good  friends,  notwith 
standing  their  difference  of  opinion.  Although  they  were  so 
much  in  earnest,  and  thought  so  differently  upon  political 
questions,  they  had  learned  that  it  was  not  necessary  to 
quarrel  over  a  mere  opinion,  which  every  man  has  a  right 
to  hold. 

It  is  said,  that  when,  in  1843,  Mr-  Douglas  and  Mr. 
Browning  were  opposing  candidates  for  Congress,  they 
made  an  agreement  that  they  would  never  be  betrayed  into 
saying  unkind  things  about  each  other.  And  that  promise 
was  sacredly  kept.  They  travelled  in  company  from  county 
to  county,  making  speeches  on  opposite  sides  of  the  political 
issues  of  that  time,  during  the  whole  summer  and  autumn. 
Still  their  friendship  was  never  clouded. 


i86i.]  77te  Nation's  Answer.  77 

In  the  same  proclamation  with  his  call  for  volunteers,  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  appointed  a  special  session  of  Congress,  to  meet 
on  the  4th  of  July.  To  fill  the  seat  in  the  Scinatc  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Douglas,  the  governor  of  Illinois 
chose  Mr  Browning. 

Now  that  he,  too,  has  passed  away,  men  look  back  with 
tear-dimmed  eyes  to  the  scene,  when,  in  his  first  speech  in 
Congress,  Mr.  Browning  made  tender  mention  of  his  dead 
friend  and  rival. 

When  war  was  really  certain,  Mr.  Douglas  nobly  declared 
himself  on  the  side  of  the  Government.  In  the  last  speech 
which  he  made,  he  urged  the  Northern  people  to  stand  by 
the  President  and  to  preserve  the  Union. 

During  his  last  moments,  his  wife  asked  him  if  he  wished 
to  leave  a  message  for  his  boys. 

"Tell  them,"  whispered  the  dying  statesman,  and  the  old 
fire  returned  for  the  moment  to  his  heavy  eyes,  "  tell  them 
to  obey  the  laws  and  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States." 


7 8        Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [186!. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

CLOUDS. 

NOW  take  your  map,  and  look  away  across  the  United 
States,  to  the  left,  in  a  straight  line,  till  you  come  to 
the  State  of  Missouri. 

While  we  have  been  so  busy  watching  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  feeling  afraid  that  the  Capital  would  be  taken  by 
the  Confederates,  we  have  forgotten  that  traitors  might 
appear  anywhere  else.  But,  in  the  present  state  of  things, 
we  may  be  pretty  sure  of  trouble  ahead,  wherever  slavery  is 
permitted. 

In  Missouri  the  secessionists  had  many  friends ;  although 
the  State  had  declared  itself,  as  a  whole,  in  favor  of  the 
Union.  Governor  Jackson  was  a  rebel,  and  so  were  many 
representatives  of  the  state  government,  which  we  call  a 
Legislature,  or  law-makers.  The  governor  refused  to  send 
his  quota  of  troops  when  the  President  issued  his  first  proc 
lamation.  For  a  long  time,  indeed,  these  disloyal  plotters 
had  been  secretly  getting  ready  to  secede.  To  this  end, 
General  Frost  was  put  in  charge  of  the  militia,  or  State 
guards.  By  order  of  Governor  Jackson,  the  United  States 
arsenal  at  Liberty,  in  the  western  part  of  Missouri,  General 
Frost  quietly  seized  ;  and  it  was  his  intention  to  take  posses 
sion  of  the  arsenal  at  St.  Louis  as  soon  as  possible. 

Governor  Jackson  had  sowed  the  seeds  of  disloyalty  with 
an  open  hand,  and  of  course  a  plentiful  crop  of  rebels  was 
the  harvest.  Volunteers,  ready  to  do  his  bidding  and  only 


i86i.j  Clouds.  79 

too  glad  to  fight  against  the  Government,  were  posted  at  the 
most  important  points  in  the  State. 

The  small  body  of  regular  troops  stationed  in  St.  Louis,  to 
protect  the  property  of  the  United  States,  was  commanded 
by  Captain  Nathaniel  Lyon.  He  suddenly  found  himself  in 
a  very  difficult  position ;  for  General  Harney,  to  whom  he 
naturally  looked  for  direction,  as  his  superior  in  rank,  was 
absent  from  the  city  at  the  time. 

General  Frost  had  gathered  as  many  of  his  State  militia  as 
he  could  muster,  in  LindelPs  Grove,  near  St.  Louis ;  and  he 
properly  named  the  encampment  after  the  traitor  governor. 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  were  kept  upon  the  flagstaff,  however, 
because  Camp  Jackson  was  called  a  camp  of  instruction, 
or  a  drill-camp. 

Captain  Lyon  heard  that  queer-looking  boxes  had  come 
to  General  Frost  from  the  South,  marked  "marble."  He 
also  learned  pretty  definitely,  that  these  boxes  contained 
muskets,  cannon,  and  ammunition.  Not  only  was  Captain 
Lyon  sure  of  the  truth  of  these  rumors,  but  he  believed  that 
the  next  step  of  the  conspirators  would  be  to  attack  the 
arsenal  which  it  was  his  duty  to  protect.  So  he  thought 
he  had  better  look  into  the  matter  in  person  ;  and  one  day  he 
paid  a  visit  to  Camp  Jackson,  in  disguise.  In  other  words, 
he  dressed  himself  in  a  bonnet  and  cloak,  and,  wearing  a 
light  veil,  he  went  in  an  open  carriage  with  a  friend  for 
a  drive  around  the  camp.  What  he  saw  and  heard  that  May 
morning,  opened  his  eyes  to  the  truth  that  there  was  not  a 
moment  to  be  lost. 

In  Colonel  Frank  P.  Blair,  jun.,  Captain  Lyon  had  a  warm 
friend,  who  had  been  busy  recruiting  Union  regiments  that 
would  be  of  great  service  when  the  time  came  for  action. 
These  were  called  the  "  Home  Guards,"  and  they  well 
deserved  the  name. 

The   two   friends   consulted   together  on   the   night  after 


So        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [xsei. 

Captain  Lyon's  inspection  of  Camp  Jackson,  and  a  line  of 
conduct  was  agreed  upon.  The  next  day,  to  the  astonish 
ment  of  every  one,  Captain  Lyon  led  his  little  band  of  regu 
lars  with  six  pieces  of  artillery,  followed  by  Colonel  Blair 
with  four  regiments  of  Home  Guards,  through  the  streets  of 
St.  Louis,  straight  to  Camp  Jackson.  Surrounding  it  with 
picket-guards  carrying  fixed  bayonets,  they  planted  batteries 
on  all  sides.  No  one  was  allowed  to  go  in  or  to  come  out. 
Captain  Lyon  then  ordered  the  surrender  of  the  encamp 
ment,  offering  to  let  them  all  go  if  they  would  take  the  oath 
to  support  the  government  of  the  United  States.  Only  ten 
would  do  this,  however :  so  the  rest  were  taken  prisoners  of 
war.  The  wildest  excitement  followed  the  capture.  All 
night  St.  Louis  was  in  an  uproar ;  and,  before  the  prisoners 
were  safe  at  the  arsenal,  twenty-five  persons  were  killed  in 
the  riot. 

Great  credit  is  due  to  the  loyal  German  regiment,  who, 
under  Colonel  Franz  Sigel,  assisted  in  this  capture. 

The  next  day  General  William  S.  Harney  returned,  and 
issued  a  proclamation  to  the  people,  assuring  them  of  their 
safety  and  of  his  protection,  if  they  obeyed  the  law,  and  kept 
the  peace. 

For  the  skill  and  promptness  with  which  Captain  Lyon 
conducted  the  affair  at  St.  Louis,  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  Very  soon,  also, 
owing  to  some  bungling  upon  General  Harney's  part,  he  was 
relieved;  and  General  Lyon  .was  placed  in  command  of  the 
department  of  St.  Louis.  This  brought  things  to  a  crisis. 
The  governor  and  the  rebel  major-general,  Sterling  E.  Price, 
who  now  commanded  the  militia,  offered  to  make  the  State 
neutral ;  that  is,  not  to  take  either  side.  To  this  end  they 
proposed  that  the  United  States  troops  leave  the  State,  and 
that  the  Home  Guards  should  disband,  putting  every  thing, 
of  course,  in  the  power  of  the  governor.  But  General 


i86i.]  Clouds.  83 

Lyon's  plan  was  quite  a  different  one.  He  urged  that  the 
Missouri  State  troops  should  disband,  and  that  the  Govern 
ment  should  not  be  hampered  by  any  promises. 

The  result  was  what  might  have  been  expected.  With 
all  haste,  away  sped  these  two  traitors,  Jackson  and  Price, 
with  their  troops,  to  Jefferson  City,  burning  bridges  behind 
them.  General  Lyon  was  in  no  less  haste  to  follow.  Two 
days  afterward  he  was  on  their  track,  with  fifteen  hundred 
men.  He  did  not  care  for  bridges ;  as  he  went  by  boat 
up  the  Missouri  River,  where  he  hoped  to  find  Price 
waiting  for  him,  at  Jefferson  City.  He  was  disappointed, 
however,  for  the  rebels  had  already  pushed  on  to  Boonville. 
After  hoisting  the  national  flag  over  the  State- House,  Gen 
eral  Lyon  started  again  in  pursuit  of  Price. 

Near  Boonville  the  two  forces  met  at  last,  but  General 
Price  evidently  did  not  expect  the  Unionists  so  soon.  A 
sharp  skirmish  took  place,  in  which  the  rebels  were  beaten 
and  scattered,  with  little  loss  on  either  side. 

General  Price  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  left  Boonville 
before  the  end  of  the  battle ;  but  Governor  Jackson  ran 
away,  and  thus  iugloriously  ended  his  career  forever,  so  far 
as  history  records. 

In  July  a  State  convention  was  called,  and  a  new  govern 
or  and  other  officers  were  elected.  This  time,  true  and 
loyal  men  were  chosen  to  fill  the  vacant  offices. 

Ohio  was  enthusiastically  and  unanimously  patriotic.  She 
furnished  her  required  number  of  volunteers  so  promptly, 
that  she  was  at  once  entitled  to  a  major-general  to  com 
mand  them ;  and  Governor  Dennison  appointed  Captain 
George  B.  McClellan  for  the  place.  General  McClellan  was 
a  graduate  of  West  Point  Academy.  A  young  man  of  fine 
ability,  as  well  as  of  thorough  military  education,  he  was 
made  a  major-general  of  volunteers.  Not  long  after,  the 
States  of  Indiana  and  Illinois  were  added  to  the  Department 


84        Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.    [1861. 

of  the  Ohio ;  for  you  will  see  that  these  States  lie  on  one 
side  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  it  was  essential  to  keep  control 
of  its  waters.  McClellan  was  then  made  a  major-general 
in  the  regular  army. 

Naturally,  the  rebels  were  unwilling  to  lose  half  of  Virginia. 
To  prevent  it  from  returning  to  the  Union,  an  armed  force 
was  sent  into  that  part  of  the  State  which  had  declared  itself 
loyal.  Not  only  was  private  property  destroyed,  but  bridges 
were  burned,  and  much  damage  was  done  by  the  invaders. 

As  Ohio  lay  so  near,  it  was  only  a  sisterly  thing  to  help 
Virginia  in  this  emergency,  and  she  was  very  ready  to  do 
it.  Therefore  General  McClellan  sent  a  letter  to  West 
Virginia,  urging  those  who  loved  the  Union,  and  desired  to 
remain  in  it,  to  join  him  in  driving  the  Confederate  troops 
out  of  the  State.  Then,  with  his  army,  he  crossed  the  Ohio 
River ;  one  half  going  over  at  Parkersburg,  and  the  other  at 
Wheeling,  with  the  intention  of  meeting  at  Grafton.  Gen 
eral  McClellan  found  a  very  satisfactory  answer  to  his  invita 
tion  awaiting  him.  Colonel  B.  F.  Kelley,  at  the  head  of  two 
regiments  of  West  Virginians,  was  ready  to  join  him. 

The  rebels  had  already  heard  of  the  approach  of  the 
Unionists,  and  had  fallen  back  to  Philippi.  They  were  only 
waiting  here  for  a  heavy  storm  to  cease,  before  making  good 
their  retreat  still  farther  south.  But  the  Nationals  did  not 
wait  for  fair  weather.  Two  detachments  started  in  pursuit ; 
the  one  to  the  right,  and  the  other  to  the  left,  of  Philippi, 
both  going  south.  On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  June,  the 
two  divisions  having  arrived  at  nearly  the  same  moment,  a 
sudden  attack  upon  the  rebel  encampment  was  made  from 
two  opposite  hills  on  either  side  of  the  town.  The  effect 
was  startling.  Although  the  Confederates  had  received  a 
hint  that  McClellan  was  coming,  they  were  routed  and  scat 
tered  very  quickly.  Colonel  Kelley  was  seriously  wounded 
in  the  skirmish,  but  afterward  recovered. 


.£    WjV^i.',',.1 


i86i.]  Clouds.  87 

Elated  by  the  complete  success  of  this  attack,  the  Fed 
erals  hastened  to  press  the  enemy  southward  into  the  Cheat 
River  Valley.  After  this  defeat  at  Philippi,  the  command 
of  the  rebel  army  was  given  to  General  Robert  S.  Garnett, 
a  graduate  of  West  Point,  who  had  taken  up  arms  for  the 
Confederacy. 

All  this  country  is  mountainous ;  and  the  only  means  of 
getting  from  one  town  to  another  is  by  the  turnpike,  or  public 
wagon-road.  At  Beverly,  where  General  Garnett  was  trying 
to  collect  Porterfield's  scattered  troops,  the  road  going  north 
is  divided  into  two  branches,  or  forks,  one  crossing  Rich 
Mountain,  the  other  going  through  a  pass  of  Laurel  Hill. 
Here  General  Garnett  intrenched  himself;  while  Colonel 
Pegram,  with  a  smaller  force,  guarded  the  pass  at  Rich 
Mountain. 

General  McClellan's  army  was  expected  to  approach  from 
the  direct  mountain  turnpike  in  either  or  both  of  these  direc 
tions. 

In  part,  the  Confederates  were  right  in  their  conjecture ; 
for  General  McClellan,  with  seven  regiments,  came  from  the 
north-west  toward  Rich  Mountain,  till  he  arrived  within  two 
miles  of  the  enemy's  camp.  Sending  out  spies  to  discover 
Garnett's  position,  McClellan  learned  that  an  attack  made 
from  the  front  would  result  in  defeat  and  great  loss.  So 
General  Rosecrans  volunteered  to  lead  a  detachment,  or 
portion  of  the  army,  to  the  top  of  Rich  Mountain.  This 
he  did  successfully,  leaving  the  main  road,  and  climbing 
steadily  up,  for  hours,  through  a  thick  wood,  in  the  midst 
of  a  heavy,  drenching  rain.  Suddenly  he  came  face  to  face 
with  the  enemy.  Colonel  Pegram  had  not  expected  the 
attack  from  the  rear,  but  he  made  a  stubborn  fight  as  long 
as  there  was  a  chance  for  him. 

In  the  mean  time  General  McClellan  was  to  attack  in 
front  at  the  same  moment ;  but  Rosecrans's  messenger  was 


88        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1861. 

captured,  and  so  McClellan  knew  nothing  of  his  success  till 
long  afterward. 

Colonel  Pegram  tried  to  get  away,  and  join  General 
Garnett  at  Laurel  Hill ;  but  he,  hearing  of  the  misfortune 
which  had  befallen  the  Confederates,  had  also  retreated, 
closely  followed  by  the  Union  army. 

So  Colonel  Pegram  was  caught.  He  surrendered  to  Mc 
Clellan  at  Beverly,  officers  and  men,  nearly  six  hundred  pris 
oners.  Still  the  Unionists  pursued,  and  still  the  Confed 
erates  fled,  cutting  down  trees  as  they  went.  Seeing  that 
the  way  toward  the  south  was  blocked  for  him,  Garnett 
turned  toward  the  north,  hoping  to  get  out  of  the  trap  from 
the  other  way.  At  Carrick's  P'ord,  on  the  Cheat  River,  a 
battle  was  fought  in  earnest.  The  Confederates  were  de 
feated  here  also,  and  General  Garnett  was  killed.  His  per 
sonal  conduct  had  been  gallant,  but  he  had  entirely  failed 
to  rally  his  panic-stricken  men.  Indeed,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  he  was  quite  alone.  A  boyish  young  aide  who  fell  by 
his  side  was  his  only  companion.  The  body  of  General 
Garnett  was  cared  for  by  the  Federals,  and  sent  to  his 
friends. 

General  McClellan  had  been  so  skilful,  or  so  lucky,  or 
both,  in  this  campaign,  as  a  series  of  military  operations  is 
sometimes  called,  that  he  received,  in  consequence,  the 
position  of  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

General  Rosecrans  was  placed  in  charge  of  affairs  in 
General  McClellan's  place,  where  we  will  leave  him  for  the 
present,  while  we  gossip  about  his  neighbors  a  little.  In  the 
train  of  misfortunes  which  followed  the  Union  arms  about  this 
time,  came  the  Vienna  disaster.  General  Irwin  McDowell, 
who  was  in  command  at  Arlington  Heights,  received  infor 
mation  of  an  attempt  to  burn  the  bridges  of  a  railway  not  far 
from  Alexandria.  So  he  sent  General  Robert  C.  Schenck 
to  look  after  things  in  that  neighborhood.  Accordingly, 


i86i.]  Clouds.  89 

General  Schenck  embarked  the  First  Ohio,  under  Colonel 
McCook,  upon  a  train,  and  proceeded  in  the  direction  indi 
cated.  As  they  neared  Vienna,  a  little  town  a  few  miles 
from  Alexandria,  the  train  was  fired  upon  by  a  masked  or 
concealed  battery,  and  several  were  killed  and  wounded. 
As  may  be  imagined,  people  were  very  indignant  at  this  sort 
of  Indian  warfare. 

In  order  to  systematize  military  affairs,  the  various  loyal 
States  were  grouped  together  by  threes  or  fours,  each  cluster 
being  called  a  department.  When  the  heads  of  these  newly- 
made  departments  were  chosen,  none  was  more  satisfactory 
to  the  general-in-chief  than  was  General  Robert  Patterson, 
who  was  appointed  to  the  Department  of  Pennsylvania, 
which  was  made  up  of  the  States  of  Maryland,  Delaware, 
and  Pennsylvania. 

General  Patterson  had  seen  service ;  and  his  fine  record 
bore  testimony  that  he  was  no  "  dastard  in  war,"  although 
he  was  no  longer  a  young  man,  since  his  next  birthday 
would  make  him  seventy  years  old. 

As  the  rebels  had  strengthened  Harper's  Ferry,  and  in 
creased  the  number  of  troops  there  to  a  very  alarming 
degree,  General  Patterson's  first  intention  seems  to  have 
been  to  give  battle  at  once,  and  thus  drive  them  out  of  their 
stronghold.  But  he  dallied  with  excuses,  and  changed  his 
plans  so  often,  that  the  Confederates  destroyed  the  railroad 
bridge  and  much  of  the  Government  property,  and  left 
Harper's  Ferry,  falling  back  towards  the  south  as  far  as 
Winchester ;  when,  lo  !  General  Patterson  followed  General 
Joseph  E.  Johnston's  example  and  retreated.  So  he  contin 
ued  to  march  and  countermarch,  giving  no  heed  to  frequent 
and  urgent  telegrams  from  General  Scott,  imploring  him  to 
do  something.  His  operations  remind  one  of  the  nursery 
rhyme  :  "  The  King  of  France,  with  forty  thousand  men, 
marched  up  a  hill,  and  then  marched  down  again." 


QO        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

The  real  purpose  for  which  General  Patterson's  division 
was  needed,  was  to  keep  General  Johnston's  rebel  army  in 
check,  or  to  engage  it  in  battle.  In  that  way  General 
McDowell  might  be  free  to  attack  General  Beauregard's 
army  at  Manassas  Junction,  without  fear  of  his  re-enforce 
ment  by  Johnston. 

But,  alas  !  nothing  was  done.  And  at  last  General  Scott, 
quite  out  of  patience,  telegraphed,  "  Has  not  he  [Johnston] 
stolen  a  march,  and  sent  re-enforcements  toward  Manassas 
Junction?"  But  Patterson  would  not  admit  it,  and  neither 
would  he  fight.  General  Scott  had  guessed  the  truth.  With 
a  force  much  larger  than  that  of  the  enemy,  and  with  every 
other  advantage,  Patterson  had  indeed  allowed  Johnston  to 
slip  past  him  to  assist  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  which  soon 
followed. 


i86i.j  A  Black  Monday.  91 


CHAPTER   VII. 

A    BLACK    MONDAY. 

A  HUNDRED  years  ago  the  way  of  carrying  on  war 
was  very  simple.  Messages  were  sent  only  by  swift 
and  trusty  horsemen  from  camp  to  camp,  or  town  to  town. 
Signals  were  made  by  lighting  bonfires  on  the  tops  of  hills, 
or  lanterns  were  hung  in  church-steeples  to  give  warning  of 
danger.  That  was  in  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
But  in  our  Civil  War,  what  with  our  network  of  railways 
stretched  across  the  country,  and  the  tattling  telegraph,  the 
secret  of  the  best-laid  plan  that  any  general  could  imagine 
was  out,  long  before  it  was  executed.  Besides,  there  were 
the  newspapers.  Some  modern  Jason  must  have  sown 
every  battle-field  with  "  dragon's  teeth  ;  "  for  no  sooner  did 
two  armies  prepare  for  an  engagement  than  up  sprang  a 
harvest  of  reporters ;  the  difference  being,  that  the  weapon 
used  by  this  army  was  the  pen  instead  of  the  lance.  In 
this  the  Confederates  were  wiser  than  the  Unionists,  for 
they  knew  that  a  pen  in  careless  hands  is  the  more  danger 
ous.  So  they  ordered  the  Southern  newspapers  to  publish 
no  intended  movements  of  their  armies,  for  fear  of  giving 
information  to  the  Northern  people.  As  if  this  were  not 
enough,  balloons  were  used  for  military  purposes.  Too 
high  to  be  in  any  danger,  they  were  sent  up  over  an 
enemy's  camp.  Much  could  thus  be  learned  which  it 
would  be  impossible  to  know  in  any  other  way.  The 
strength  and  position  of  the  enemy,  and  how  many  guns  he 


92        Yon  tig  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [issi. 

had,  could  thus  be  easily  discovered.  Professor  Lowe  made 
an  ascension  at  Washington  for  military  purposes  in  June, 
1 86 1.  He  connected  his  balloon  by  telegraph  with  the  War 
Department,  and  sent  Mr.  Lincoln  the  first  despatch  ever 
telegraphed  from  mid-air. 

In  still  another  way,  too,  great  progress  and  improvement 
had  been  made  in  the  art  of  war.  Cannons  and  guns  of 
all  kinds  had  been  invented  wherewith  to  kill  men,  which 
would  have  astonished  the  soldiers  who  fought  at  Bunker 
Hill.  Steam  war- vessels  and  iron-clad  gunboats  sailed  the 
sea,  instead  of  ponderous  and  unwieldy  ships  like  the  old 
Constitution,  of  which  we  already  know. 

In  the  light  of  the  nineteenth  century,  therefore,  with  all 
the  death-dealing  machines  at  hand  which  human  skill  could 
invent,  the  North  and  the  South  began  a  hand-to-hand 
struggle  for  the  mastery. 

Already  had  ten  thousand  men  crossed  the  Potomac  into 
Virginia.  They  were  posted  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river, 
stretching,  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent,  or  new  moon,  from 
Alexandria  to  Georgetown. 

At  Fortress  Monroe,  General  Butler  commanded  fifteen 
thousand  men ;  and  General  Patterson,  with  his  eighteen 
thousand,  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  Win 
chester. 

The  Confederates  had  also  gathered  an  army,  the  greater 
part  of  which,  under  General  P.  G.  T.  Beauregard,  lay  at 
Manassas  Junction,  about  thirty-five  miles  south-west  from 
Washington.  As  we  know,  Johnston,  with  eight  thousand 
Confederates,  was  at  this  moment  trying  to  escape  Patter 
son,  whom  he  supposed  to  be  at  his  heels,  in  order  to  join 
Beauregard  at  Manassas  Junction.  At  this  place  two  rail 
roads  cross  each  other ;  and,  from  its  position  among  the 
hills,  it  would  seem  an  easy  matter  to  resist  an  attack  which 
might  be  made  from  the  north  or  west. 


THE    OLD    FLAG. 


i86i.j  A  Black  Monday.  95 

The  Union  army,  organized  and  commanded  by  Briga 
dier-General  McDowell,  was  now  greatly  increased  in  view 
of  making  an  immediate  attack  upon  the  enemy. 

One  morning  about  the  middle  of  July,  the  Union  camp 
was  stirring  very  early.  Soon,  in  the  gray  dawn,  four  long 
dark  columns  began  to  move  toward  the  south,  all  going 
in  the  same  direction,  but  by  different  roads. 

So,  thirty-four  thousand  strong,  this  Grand  Army  of 
the  Potomac  went  gayly  out  to  its  first  battle.  Many  of  the 
men  had  enlisted  at  the  first  call  of  the  President,  and  their 
time  was  nearly  out.  They  had  become  a  little  used  to 
military  order  and  usages ;  but  the  greater  part  of  this  army 
was  composed  of  new  recruits  who  answered  to  the  second 
call,  and  who  were  not,  therefore,  very  soldierly  in  their 
habits.  A  very  small  proportion  of  this  vast  company  was 
regulars. 

It  is  true  that  General  McDowell  commanded,  but  each 
division  was  under  the  charge  of  a  separate  general. 

A  division  is  made  of  three  or  four  brigades,  and  a  bri 
gade  has  several  regiments  in  it,  while  every  regiment  is  com 
posed  of  ten  companies.  General  E.  B.  Tyler  led  the  first 
division,  and  Colonel  David  Hunter  the  second.  The  third 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  Samuel  P.  Heintzleman,  and 
the  fourth  by  General  Theodore  Runyon.  This  latter  divis 
ion,  however,  was  left  to  guard  the  road  between  Centreville 
and  Washington. 

The  fifth  was  given  to  the  care  of  Colonel  D.  H.  Miles. 
So  quietly  did  they  break  camp,  and  move  away,  that  no 
body  heard  them. 

They  took  as  little  baggage  as  possible.  At  that  stage  in 
the  war  a  soldier  would  have  required  a  Saratoga  trunk  to 
carry  all  the  luxuries  and  knick-knacks  with  which  unwise 
and  loving  friends  at  home  overwhelmed  him ;  but  all  these 
must  be  left  behind. 


96        Voting  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War. 

Would  you  like  to  know  what  a  soldier  carries  when  he 
goes  to  battle?  I  will  tell  you  what  orders  General  Mc 
Dowell  gave  to  his  troops.  They  were  to  take  "arms, 
accoutrements,  and  ammunition ;  cartridges-boxes  filled ; 
their  haversacks,  with  three  days'  cooked  rations  (or  food)  ; 
their  blankets  with  the  ends  tied  to  each  other  across  the 
shoulder,  and,  when  possible,  a  pair  of  stockings  inside  the 
blanket ;  their  canteens  and  their  cups."  Canteens  are 
water-bottles ;  and  accoutrements  are  pouches,  belts,  and 
such  things.  Knapsacks  were  to  be  packed  and  marked, 
and  left,  with  tents  and  other  heavy  things,  under  the  charge 
of  an  officer  and  a  squad  of  soldiers.  These  followed  later. 
A  haversack  is  a  canvas  bag  to  put  food  in.  A  knapsack 
is  a  leathern  bag  in  which  a  soldier  packs  his  clothing,  and 
which  is  carried  on  his  back  when  he  makes  a  long  march. 

Your  map  will  show  you,  that,  in  order  to  reach  Manassas, 
the  direct  route  ran  through  Centreville.  It  would  also  be 
necessary  to  cross  Bull  Run,  a  small  stream  which  is  a  tribu 
tary,  or  feeder,  to  the  Potomac.  General  Tyler,  with  the 
first  division,  pushed  on  to  Centreville.  Finding  it  deserted, 
he  was  therefore  ordered  to  reconnoitre,  which  is  to  "  spy 
out  the  land,"  just  as  Moses  sent  spies  into  the  land  of 
Canaan  to  see  it  and  the  people,  "  whether  they  be  strong 
or  weak." 

In  both  cases  they  found  the  country  well  guarded.  The 
rebel  army  was  stretched  along  the  west  bank  of  Bull  Run 
for  nearly  eight  miles.  The  stream  was  pretty  deep,  and  ran 
so  swiftly  that  it  could  be  crossed  only  at  certain  points. 
At  every  one  of  these  places  the  rebels  had  posted  a  strong 
guard. 

When  General  Tyler  attempted  to  reconnoitre  at  Black 
burn's  Ford,  the  enemy  showed  fight,  and  a  sharp  skirmish 
took  place.  The  Nationals,  being  repulsed  with  a  loss  of 
sixty  men,  fell  back  again  to  Centreville.  A  ford  is  a  shallow 


i86i.]  A  Black  Monday.  97 

place  in  a  stream,  where  one  can  ride  or  wade  through, 
instead  of  crossing  on  a  bridge.  There  were  several  fords 
and  a  stone  bridge  across  Bull  Run.  The  question  now 
was,  which  place  to  choose  for  the  passage  of  the  Union 
army  ;  for  all  were  well  defended. 

General  McDowell  remained  at  Centreville  two  days, 
arranging  plans,  and  making  ready  for  a  fight.  He  intended 
to  make  the  attack  on  Saturday ;  but,  his  supplies  failing  to 
arrive,  he  was  obliged  to  wait.  On  Saturday,  however,  three 
days'  rations  were  given  out,  with  orders  to  march  at  day 
break  on  Sunday  morning,  July  21.  A  ration  is  a  portion 
of  food  allowed  daily  to  a  soldier  when  on  duty. 

General  Tyler  was  to  make  a  pretence,  or  feint,  of  trying 
to  cross  the  stone  bridge.  This  was  to  occupy  the  enemy, 
and  thus  cover  the  real  crossing  of  the  main  army,  a  little 
farther  on,  at  Sudley's  Ford,  and  was  accomplished  without 
difficulty. 

The  rebel  general,  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  with  a  portion  of 
his  army,  was  already  on  the  ground.  It  was  past  ten  before 
the  Nationals  came  in  sight.  The  battle  soon  began  in 
earnest.  First  the  Nationals  seemed  to  have  the  advantage, 
and  then  the  Confederates.  Just  as  the  Nationals  were 
beginning  to  waver  from  exhaustion,  Keyes  and  Sherman 
appeared  with  fresh  troops,  scattering  the  rebels  to  right  and 
left.  This  was  about  eleven  o'clock. 

That  morning's  work  made  many  a  child  fatherless,  and 
broke  many  a  widow's  heart.  But  before  noon  the  news  of 
victory  to  the  Union  army  was  bulletined  at  every  news 
paper  office  at  the  North.  When  such  timely  help  came 
to  the  Nationals,  the  Confederates  fled  across  an  open 
space,  and  up  a  hill  where  the  "  Robinson  "  and  "  Henry  " 
houses  stood.  Here,  on  a  broad  table-land,  with  a  thick 
wood  in  the  rear,  they  began  once  more  to  rally.  They 
found  General  Jackson,  with  a  battery  and  a  few  companies, 


98        Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [xS6x. 

calmly  holding  the  position,  which  was,  in  fact,  an  excellent 
one.  It  was  about  this  time  that  General  Bee,  in  trying  to 
encourage  his  tired  troops,  cried  :  "  Here  stands  Jackson 
like  a  stone  wall !  "  "  Stonewall !  "  was  taken  up  upon  all 
sides  with  the  wildest  enthusiasm.  So  the  famous  rebel 
general,  Jackson,  was  ever  afterward  known  as  "  Stonewall " 
Jackson. 

Now  the  Nationals  began  the  task  of  driving  the  enemy 
from  that  plateau,  or  table-land.  In  order  to  do  it,  the 
rebel  batteries  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  must  be  taken.  The 
order  was  given.  Up  went  the  artillery,  with  their  support 
ing  regiments,  "  into  the  jaws  of  death."  Another  regiment 
followed.  Now  a  battery  was  captured  from  the  enemy, 
now  a  whole  regiment  of  Nationals  was  cut  to  pieces.  The 
conflict  seemed  so  equal,  that  one  might  fancy  it  would  go 
on  while  a  man  was  left.  The  ground  was  red  with  blood. 
Many  gallant  officers  on  both  sides  had  been  killed,  and 
many  wounded.  Even  General  Johnston  began  to  feel  dis 
couraged,  and  the  Nationals  did  not  dare  to  hope. 

Three  times  the  Nationals  climbed  wearily  up  the  hill ; 
and  when,  at  last,  bearing  their  flags  heavily,  they  gained  the 
top  for  the  third  time,  a  terrible  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery, 
"  at  pistol-range,"  mowed  them  down  like  grain  in  a  harvest- 
field.  Just  at  that  moment  the  rest  of  General  Johnston's 
command  appeared,  led  by  General  Kirby  Smith. 

Cheer  after  cheer  rose  from  the  Confederates,  who  took 
fresh  courage.  On  came  two  regiments  of  fresh  recruits, 
pressing  furiously  upon  the  right  wing  of  the  Union  army ; 
and  the  same  murderous  fire  continued  in  front.  What 
wonder,  then,  that  at  the  cry,  "  Johnston's  army  has  come  !  " 
the  Unionists  lost  all  hope.  One  after  another,  regiment 
after  regiment,  broke  and  ran.  The  battle-field  became 
a  general  race-course.  Riderless  horses,  mules  with  wagons, 
and  soldiers  with  their  arms  flung  away,  flying  in  wild  haste 


i86i.]  A  Black  Monday.  101 

and  confusion,  made  such  a  scene  as  was  never  before 
imagined.  Threats  and  entreaties  were  useless.  Orders 
had  no  effect  on  the  men,  and  many  a  gallant  officer  died 
trying  to  rally  his  command.  One  battalion  of  regulars 
firmly  held  together,  and  moved  steadily  across  the  plain 
to  hold  the  enemy  in  check,  in  order  to  give  the  Federals  a 
chance  to  rally.  But  it  was  all  in  vain.  Faster  and  faster 
the  poor  fellows  ran,  never  stopping  to  look  behind  them. 

They  retreated  to  Centreville  very  naturally,  and  soon 
after  midnight  they  were  all  on  their  way  back  to  Washing 
ton.  Their  wounded  and  dead  alas,  how  great  a  com 
pany  !  were  left  behind.  If  one  could  have  seen  them, 
blood-stained  and  soiled,  struggling  through  the  dark,  it 
would  have  been  hard  to  believe  that  these  were  the  daring 
and  eager  soldiers  who  had  so  lately  gone  out  determined  to 
conquer. 

"  Never  had  the  flag  of  the  Union  trailed  so  low  in  the 
dust  before."  Yet  our  boys  in  blue  were  not  less  brave  than 
those  in  the  gray. 

Ah  !  that  was  a  sad  day  at  the  North  when  the  news  was 
read  of  our  defeat  and  shame.  Above  all,  what  a  day  of 
mourning  it  was  for  those  who  had  given  fathers  and  broth 
ers  and  sons  who  should  never  come  back  to  them  ! 

For  many  a  long  year,  July  22,  1861,  will  be  remembered 
as  "  Black  Monday ; "  for  on  that  day  fifteen  hundred 
Unionists  were  killed  or  wounded,  and  from  three  thousand 
to  four  thousand  were  taken  prisoners.  The  Confederate 
loss  was  about  nineteen  hundred.  The  "  Henry  house  " 
was  occupied  by  a  woman  who  had  been  ill  in  her  bed  for 
years.  She  had  a  son  and  a  daughter  who  took  care  of  her  ; 
but  it  was  not  likely  that  they  knew  the  danger  which  they 
were  in,  until  it  was  too  late  to  move  their  mother.  The 
story  is  a  sad  one.  When  the  day's  work  was  done,  she  was 
found  so  badly  wounded,  that  she  died  the  next  day. 


IO2      Young  Folks*  History  of  the  Civil   War.     \\^\. 

The  walls  of  the  house  were  made  into  lace-work  by  bullets, 
for  the  hottest  fight  raged  there. 

The  battle  of  Bull  Run  has  been  pronounced,  by  an  able 
commander  who  had  a  large  share  in  it,  "  one  of  the  best- 
planned  battles  of  the  war,  and  one  of  the  worst-fought." 
The  troops  were  raw  and  undisciplined,  officers  and  men 
alike  being  unused  to  war.  Their  uniforms  were  in  different 
colors  ;  their  guns,  of  various  patterns.  They  were  strangers 
to  hardships,  and  were  appalled  by  the  roar  and  shrieks  of 
the  battle-field.  They  did  not  even  know  how  to  obey 
properly  when  an  order  was  given.  They  had  never  been 
"  brigaded  "  before  ;  that  is,  they  had  never  received  orders 
for  so  many  men  at  once.  So  little  were  they  used  to  mili 
tary  obedience,  that  General  Sherman  said  afterward,  that  he 
could  not  possibly  keep  his  men  from  straggling  off  to  pick 
blackberries,  or  to  get  water,  on  the  march. 

Those  who  watched  affairs  in  those  days  blamed  General 
Patterson  and  Colonel  Miles  for  the  disaster ;  the  one  hav 
ing  disobeyed  the  orders  of  a  superior  officer,  while  the 
other  proved  that  he  could  not  be  trusted. 

Some  thought  General  Patterson  friendly  to  the  Southern 
cause  ;  but  we  will  not  say  so  hard  a  thing  of  a  man  who 
was  held  worthy  to  command  a  Union  army.  Certainly  he 
was  not  very  anxious  to  fight,  for  he  let  Johnston  slip  past 
him  without  so  much  as  a  scratch.  General  Patterson  was 
"  honorably  discharged  "  as  soon  as  his  time  expired.  To 
be  honorably  discharged  is  to  let  one  go  without  censure ; 
and  we  may  afford  to  be  no  less  generous,  now  that  he  is 
dead. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  called  an  extra  or  special  session  of 
Congress,  to  meet  on  the  4th  of  July.  He  celebrated  the 
national  holiday  in  1861,  not  by  a  display  of  fireworks,  but 
by  asking  Congress  to  give  him  money  and  men.  He  asked 
for  the  right  to  call  out  four  hundred  thousand  men,  and  for 


i86i.]  A  Black  Monday.  105 

four  hundred  million  dollars  to  carry  on  the  war.  The 
Secessionists  were  in  earnest,  and  it  was  time  for  the  gov 
ernment  to  be  in  earnest  too. 

The  right  which  President  Lincoln  desired  was  granted. 
After  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  however,  another  hundred  mil 
lion  of  money  was  added,  giving  five  hundred  million  dollars 
for  military  purposes. 

The  rebel  army  also  was  eagerly  enlarged.  About  this 
time  the  Confederate  Congress  met,  but  they  were  much 
perplexed  about  raising  money.  Gold-paying  banks  would 
not  take  their  government  notes  :  their  Confederate  bills  sank 
in  value  as  many  as  fifteen  or  twenty  cents  on  every  dollar. 
Laboring  people  would  not  accept  Confederate  money  for 
their  work.  Where  to  get  the  means  to  carry  on  the  war 
had  become  a  serious  question  to  them.  But  the  North  and 
the  South  were  equally  brave,  and  both  bore  the  bitterest 
hardships  without  complaining.  Each  thought  itself  in  the 
right.  Each  asked  the  blessing  of  God  upon  its  cause. 
Women  wore  the  national  colors  ;  and  children  made  "  red, 
white,  and  blue  "  rosettes  at  the  North.  At  the  South,  the 
Stars  and  Bars  waved  proudly  everywhere. 

Envelopes  and  letter-paper  were  gay  with  flags  and  eagles. 
Four  thousand  different  kinds  of  envelopes  were  made  in 
three  weeks.  Most  of  these  found  their  way  to  the  soldiers' 
camps,  filled  with  loving  cheer  from  friends  at  home.  Pa 
triotic  songs  were  sung,  —  "  Dixie  "  at  the  South,  the  "  Star- 
spangled  Banner"  at  the  North.  No  little  town  was  too 
small  to  raise  its  company  of  soldiers.  Waiting  for  its  turn 
to  come,  it  drilled  and  marched  in  brave  new  uniforms,  — 
blue  at  the  North,  gray  at  the  South. 

Public  squares  were  dotted  with  new  white  tents  ;  and  over 
them  floated  the  Stars  and  Bars  at  the  South,  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  at  the  North.  The  whole  nation,  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  British  America,  was  thrilling  with  heroism, 


io6      Young  Folks'  History'  of  the  Civil   War.     [i86i. 

But  the  heroes  did  not  all  go  to  \var.  It  is  sometimes 
much  harder  to  be  left  at  home,  and  wait,  than  to  go  out, 
and  do  a  daring  thing.  After  these  husbands  and  fathers 
and  sons  had  fairly  enlisted,  and  buckled  on  their  swords,  or 
taken  their  muskets  and  marched  away,  it  was  lonely  enough 
for  the  wives  and  mothers  and  children  who  were  left  at 
home.  Yet  nobody  wanted  to  keep  these  soldiers  back. 
No,  indeed  !  Nor  did  the  women  weep  with  folded  hands. 
Their  hearts  were  just  as  full  of  patriotism  as  if  they  had  been 
men.  If  they  could  not  give  their  lives  for  their  country, 
what  then  ?  It  did  not  take  long  to  find  out.  All  over  the 
land,  in  the  North  and  South  too,  bands  were  formed  for 
sewing  for  the  soldiers.  Every  woman  thought  of  some  dear 
one,  when  she  sewed  the  blue  flannel  shirts.  And  little  girls 
always  loved  to  think  the  warm  stockings  they  were  knitting 
would  find  their  way  to  the  feet  of  fathers  or  brothers. 
Everybody  helped.  The  great  public  meeting  at  the  Cooper 
Institute  in  New  York,  which  was  held  so  soon  after  Sumter 
was  fired  upon,  began  to  bear  fruit,  for  from  it  sprang  the 
SANITARY  COMMISSION,  a  society  for  the  comfort  of  soldiers, 
both  sick  and  well.  The  CHRISTIAN  COMMISSION  was  also 
organized  for  moral  and  religious  work  among  them. 

Men  gave  money  freely  to  buy  cloth.  Boys  and  girls 
gladly  did  their  share  in  many  ways.  Great  boxes  of  good 
things  to  eat  were  sent  by  every  train  to  the  sick  in  the 
hospitals  through  the  generosity  of  these  societies. 

After  a  while,  the  news  of  battles  flew  over  the  telegraph 
wires.  Then  long  lists  of  the  dead  and  wounded,  which 
one  scarcely  dared  to  read,  filled  every  heart  with  sorrow, 
and  added  a  new  item  to  the  work  for  the  soldiers.  "  Lint 
and  Bandage  "  meetings  were  held.  Old  linen,  which  would 
be  soft  and  pleasant  to  the  sick  in  the  heat  of  a  Southern 
summer,  was  gathered  and  sent  with  tears  and  prayers. 

Children  never  forgot  to  ask  God  to  bless  and  protect  the 


i86i 


A  Black  Monday. 


107 


soldiers,  whenever  they  said  their  prayers.     Every  man  who 
wore  a  uniform  was  welcome  to  every  home. 

Regiments  on  the  march  were  received  with  cheers,  and 
handkerchiefs  fluttered  from  every  window,  in  token  of  wel- 


CHILDREN'S  FAIR. 


come.     Coffee  and  all  sorts  of  good  things,  were  set  out  for 
their  refreshment  wherever  they  stopped. 

So,  as  everybody  had  something  to  do  and  something  to 
think  about,  the  time  did  not  drag  so  wearily.  All  were 
working  for  one  common  cause,  and  the  cause  itself  grew 
dearer. 


IOS      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

WESTERN    WARRIORS. 

WE  left  General  Price  at  the  battle  of  Boonville. 
Immediately  after  that,  he  made  all  haste  to  join 
the  rebel  general,  Ben  McCulloch,  in  the  southern  part  of 
Missouri.  Wishing  to  prevent  the  meeting,  Colonel  Sigel 
pushed  on  after  them,  and  overtook  them  at  Carthage  on 
the.  4th  of  July,  where  a  sharp  skirmish  took  place.  After 
three  hours,  the  Unionists  were  repulsed,  and  retreated,  fol 
lowed  by  the  rebels.  Sigel's  loss  was  not  large  ;  and  he  was 
able,  by  good  fortune  and  skilful  generalship,  to  protect  his 
baggage-train. 

A  few  days  later  he  fell  back  to  Springfield,  where  he  was 
joined  by  General  Lyon,  who  took  command  of  his  troops. 
A  month  passed  by,  still  no  re-enforcements  came ;  while 
the  enemy  had  gathered  all  its  strength  in  the  south 
western  corner  of  Missouri,  getting  ready  to  make  a  fierce 
attack. 

One  morning  news  came  to  General  Lyon  that  the  rebels 
were  coming  in  two  strong  columns. 

He  knew  that  it  would  be  better  to  attack  than  to  defend, 
with  so  small  a  force  :  so  he  gave  the  order  to  go  forward. 
At  Dug  Springs,  nineteen  miles  to  the  south  of  Springfield, 
the  Nationals  and  Confederates  met.  The  country  was  so 
hilly,  that  neither  could  see  how  large  a  force  the  other  had. 
The  Nationals  were  cautiously  advancing,  shots  being  briskly 
exchanged  in  the  mean  time,  when  suddenly  the  Confed- 


Western    Warriors. 


109 


erate   cavalry   made    a   dash   upon   them   from   the   woods, 
breaking  the  column  in  two  like  a  pipe-stem. 

A  company  of  regulars,  Stanley's  cavalry,  drew  up  in 
line  and  fired.  The  battle  had  just  begun  in  earnest,  when 
one  of  Stanley's  officers  shouted,  "  Charge  !  "  Away  dashed 
twenty- five  horses  and  riders  into  the  midst  of  the  rebels, 
cutting  them  to  pieces  in  a  fearful  way.  Before  Stanley 


ARSENAL,    ST.    LOUIS. 

could  recover  himself  to  follow  and  support  the  few  of  his 
men  who  were  making  the  charge,  the  Confederates  were 
flying  in  every  direction  ;  and  in  a  short  time  they  had  all 
retreated. 

The  next  day  Lyon  decided  to  return  to  Springfield,  since 
the  Unionists  were  not  strong  enough  to  do  any  thing  with 
out  re-enforcements. 

In  the  mean  while,  General  McCulloch,  now  commanding 
the  rebels  in  the  place  of  Price,  had  been  ordered  to  ad- 


I  TO      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1861. 

vance  at  once  upon  General  Lyon.  After  a  hurried  march, 
the  Confederates  encamped  on  both  sides  of  Wilson's 
Creek,  which  lies  about  ten  miles  south  of  Springfield. 

They  were  in  excellent  spirits,  notwithstanding  their  hun 
ger.  Their  baggage-train  had  been  left  behind ;  and  they 
had  no  food  excepting  the  green  corn  which  they  picked 
as  they  went,  and  ate  without  salt.  They  were  ragged  and 
thirsty,  for  this  army  of  twenty-six  thousand  men  had  no 
canteens.  They  had  neither  tents  nor  blankets. 

General  Lyon's  command  did  not  exceed  five  thousand 
men.  He  called  a  council  of  war ;  and  it  was  decided  to  go 
out  to  meet  the  enemy,  as  the  site  of  Springfield  was  too 
level  to  be  defended.  So  they  were  to  set  out  in  the  dead 
of  night,  hoping  to  surprise  the  rebels. 

Oddly  enough,  the  Confederates  had  intended  to  do  this 
very  thing  themselves ;  but,  as  the  weather  was  stormy,  the 
idea  had  been  given  up.  The  Nationals  marched  in  two 
columns ;  Lyon  at  the  head  of  one,  Sigel  leading  the  other. 
Lyon  was  to  attack  in  front,  and  Sigel  in  the  rear.  The  plan 
was  successful  and  the  surprise  was  complete.  Nevertheless 
it  did  not  take  long  for  the  Confederates  to  fall  into  line ; 
and  very  soon  the  battle  was  raging.  Sigel's  shot  and  shell 
came  crashing  over  the  rebel  encampment  from  the  rear : 
Totten's  and  Dubois'  batteries  mowed  them  down  in  front. 
Twice  during  the  fight  the  Union  flag  was  raised  by  the 
Confederates,  until  they  were  in  the  very  midst  of  the  Union 
ranks,  then,  showing  their  true  colors,  they  fought  savagely. 
Through  this  trick,  Sigel  lost  nearly  half  his  men.  General 
Lyon's  behavior  was  heroic.  All  day  he  rode  up  and  down 
the  lines,  cheering  and  leading  his  men.  You  know  that 
a  commanding  general  does  not  usually  do  this.  He  keeps 
out  of  danger,  that  he  may  be  able  to  direct  others,  and 
plan  for  the  whole  army. 

Wherever  the  bullets  fell  fastest,  General  Lyon's  face  was 


GENERAL    LYON    LEADING    THE    CHARGE. 


i86i.]  Western    Warriors.  113 

seen.  Twice  he  was  wounded,  and  his  horse  was  shot  under 
him  ;  but  he  never  thought  of  retreat. 

Urging  forward  an  Iowa  regiment  whose  colonel  had  been 
killed,  and  which  hesitated  or  waited  a  little,  asking,  "  Who 
will  lead  us?"  General  Lyon  mounted  another  horse,  and, 
waving  his  hat,  cried,  "  I  will  lead  you.  Come  on,  brave 
men  !  "  Scarcely  a  minute  after,  a  rifle-ball  struck  him  in 
the  breast,  and  he  fell  mortally  wounded.  He  died  in  the 
arms  of  his  servant,  only  saying,  "  I  am  going." 

Upon  Major  Sturgis,  not  less  brave  than  General  Lyon, 
now  fell  the  command.  At  this  time  it  was  not  known  that 
Colonel  Sigel's  force  had  been  decoyed  and  captured  by 
the  use  of  the  national  flag.  So  when,  for  the  third  time,  it 
was  again  displayed,  Major  Sturgis  supposed  that  Colonel 
Sigel  was  coming  to  his  aid,  when,  lo  !  within  a  few  feet  of 
the  Nationals,  these  chivalrous  Confederates  fired  a  volley 
of  bullets  in  their  faces.  Still  the  Unionists  stood  the  storm, 
and  returned  the  fire  till  the  enemy  fell  back  to  the  cover  of 
the  woods.  But  the  day  was  lost;  for  the  rebels,  with  a 
superior  force,  were  in  possession  of  the  battle-field. 

So  the  Nationals  fell  back  to  Rolla,  which  your  map  will 
show  you  is  in  the  direction  of  St.  Louis. 

That  the  rebels  did  not  follow,  is  a  pretty  sure  sign  that 
they  were  glad  to  be  rid  of  them. 

In  the  haste  and  confusion  of  leaving  the  field,  the  body 
of  General  Lyon  was  left  behind.  General  Price  kindly 
sent  it  to  Springfield  in  his  own  wagon,  where  it  was  cared 
for  and  buried  by  Mrs.  J.  S.  Phelps,  and  afterward  it  was 
sent  to  General  Lyon's  home  in  the  East. 

The  conduct  of  the  national  troops  at  the  Battle  of  Wil 
son's  Creek  was  above  praise. 

Major-General  John  C.  Fremont,  in  the  mean  while,  had 
been  placed  ai  the  head  of  affairs  in  the  Wrest,  having  his 
headquarters  at  St.  Louis.  He  set  about  fortifying  and 


1 14     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

strengthening  that  city  against  the  enemy.  He  also  placed 
strong  garrisons  at  Cairo,  Paducah,  and  Bird's  Point. 

As  we  have  seen,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  "have 
money  to  carry  on  all  his  plans  ;  but  not  a  cent  had  he.  The 
under  treasurer  of  the  government  refused  to  let  General 
Fremont  have  any,  without  an  order  from  Washington. 
Time  was  more  important  than  ceremony ;  and  so  prepara 
tions  were  made  to  seize  it  forcibly,  when  the  treasurer 
yielded,  and  Fremont  took  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  for 
national  purposes. 

He  declared  martial  law  in  St.  Louis ;  that  .is,  all  persons 
were  warned  neither  to  speak  nor  write  one  word  against 
the  government,  nor  to  give  aid  or  comfort  to  rebels,  upon 
penalty  of  imprisonment.  Those  taken  in  the  city  with 
arms  in  their  hands,  if  not  employed  by  the  government, 
were  to  be  tried,  and,  if  found  guilty  of  treason,  were  to  be 
shot.  Rebel  newspapers  were  stopped.  Property  belong 
ing  to  rebels  taking  part  against  the  Union,  was  to  be  con 
fiscated,  or  taken  by  the  government;  and  slaves  of  these 
disloyal  people  were  to  be  made  free.  This  was  all  done 
with  the  view  to  stop  the  fountain  of  treason,  so  that  no 
more  streams  should  flow  from  it. 

It  seemed  a  hard  measure,  but  the  laws  must  be  obeyed 
at  all  hazards.  As  slaves  made  up  a  large  share  of  the 
capital  of  most  of  the  secessionists,  a  great  storm  was 
the  result  of  this  proclamation.  Mr.  Lincoln  therefore  set 
aside  the  latter  part  of  this  law  concerning  property  and 
slaves,  in  the  hope  to  soften  the  bitterness  of  the  aggrieved 
ones. 

It  was  September  when  General  Price  drew  up  before  Lex 
ington,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Missouri  River.  This  town 
was  garrisoned  by  Colonel  James  A.  Mulligan  of  the  Chicago 
Irish  Brigade,  with  nearly  three  thousand  men,  but,  alas  ! 
with  only  forty  rounds  of  ammunition  and  eight  small 


i86i.]  Western    Warriors.  1 1 5 

cannon.  Colonel  Mulligan  hourly  expected  re-enforcements 
and  supplies.  Day  after  day  went  by  ;  and,  as  none  came, 
the  only  thing  left  for  them  to  do  was  to  dig  trenches  and 
build  earthworks,  to  protect  themselves. 

General  Price's  force  had  become  so  strong  that  he 
hoped  that  Colonel  Mulligan  would  surrender,  if  he  only 
threatened. 

In  the  mean  time,  General  Fremont  was  in  an  awkward 




FREMONT'S  HOUSE  IN  ST.  LOUIS. 

place.  General  Grant,  at  Cairo,  was  begging  for  more 
troops.  General  Robert  Anderson,  whom  you  remember, 
was  now  in  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Cum 
berland,  and  urgently  calling  for  help  at  Louisville,  Ky. 
General  Scott  ordered  General  Fremont  to  send  him  "  five 
thousand  well-armed  infantry  [or  foot-soldiers]  without  a 
moment's  delay."  And  here  was  Colonel  Mulligan  shut  up 
in  Lexington,  without  guns  and  ammunition  !  General  Fre 
mont  ordered  troops  from  all  quarters  to  his  relief;  but 


Ii6     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil  War.     [1861. 

they  never  reached  Lexington.  The  rebels  had  looked  out 
for  that,  having  driven  them  back,  and  also  captured  supplies 
intended  for  the  beleaguered  town. 

At  daybreak  on  the  i2th  of  September,  General  Price 
opened  fire  upon  Lexington  from  four  different  directions. 
Colonel  Mulligan  met  the  assault  bravely.  From  morning 
till  night  the  battle  was  kept  up  without  result.  At  length 
General  Price  withdrew  his  command  to  wait  until  his 
wagon-train  should  come. 

In  the  mean  while,  Colonel  Mulligan  hastened  to  prepare 
for  the  coming  siege.  Six  days  after  the  first  attack,  General 
Price,  with  fresh  re-enforcements,  opened  another  battle. 
His  army  was  supposed  to  number  about  twenty  thousand. 

The  poor  fellows  in  Lexington  were  in  a  sad  plight. 
Their  rations  were  getting  low.  Their  ammunition  was 
nearly  gone.  The  cavalry  had  only  pistols  to  fight  with. 
Horses  which  had  been  killed  in  the  first  skirmish  were  un- 
buried,  and  the  horrible  stench  made  the  men  ill.  The 
enemy  had  cut  off  the  river  from  them ;  so  that  they  had  no 
water,  except  that  the  soldiers  caught  in  their  blankets  when 
it  rained.  Yet,  for  all  this,  when  General  Price  sent  word  to 
them  that  they  must  surrender,  Colonel  Mulligan's  answer 
was,  "  If  you  want  us,  come  and  take  us."  For  three  days 
the  Confederates  never  stopped  firing.  At  last  the  hospital 
was  taken.  The  surgeon  and  chaplain  were  made  prisoners  ; 
and  it  is  said  that  some  of  the  sick  were  killed  in  their  beds, 
though  we  cannot  bear  to  believe  that.  Colonel  Mulligan 
afterward  said,  that  he  never  dreamed  that  in  these  days  the 
rebels  would  harm  a  sick  man.  But,  since  the  hospital  was 
captured,  it  must  be  retaken.  Captain  Gleason,  with  his 
Montgomery  Guard,  undertook  the  task.  At  the  word 
"Charge!"  they  rushed  upon  the  enemy  with  such  fury, 
that  they  drove  him  down  hill,  and  beyond  the  battle-field ; 
and  the  sick  were  saved  from  such  rude  hands.  But,  out 


i86i.i  Western    Warriors.  119 

of  the  eighty  men  who  went  out  to  the  charge,  only  fifty 
came  back ;  and  their  leader,  Captain  Gleason,  had  been 
shot  through  the  cheek.  This  has  been  called  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  gallant  charges  in  all  history. 

Colonel  Mulligan  had  been  wounded  twice ;  and  many  of 
the  men  became  discouraged,  refusing  to  fight  any  longer. 
So  a  white  flag  was  raised,  which  is  called  a  flag  of  truce  ; 
and  the  Irish  brigade,  loyal  and  brave,  surrendered  witli 
glory.  When  General  Price  received  Colonel  Mulligan's 
sword,  he  returned  it,  saying,  "  I  should  be  sorry  to  see  so 
brave  an  officer  deprived  of  his  sword."  When  all  was  over, 
the  rebels  asked  one  of  the  National  soldiers  where  their 
ammunition  was  to  be  found  ;  to  which  an  officer  answered, 
"  I  believe  we  gave  you  all  we  had,  but  upon  my  word  I  wish 
it  had  been  more."  The  private  soldiers  were  paroled,  but 
Colonel  Mulligan  with  his  staff  were  taken  prisoners.  A 
parole  means  a  promise  not  to  fight  again  until  properly 
exchanged.  The  National  loss  at  Lexington  during  those 
seventy-two  hours  was  from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred 
men.  Congress  gave  Colonel  Mulligan's  regiment  the  right 
to  place  on  its  flag  the  word  "  Lexington."  Two  months 
later  Colonel  Mulligan  was  exchanged  and  offered  the  rank 
of  brigadier-general,  which  he  refused,  because  he  would 
rather  stay  with  his  regiment. 

Immediately  after  this,  General  Price  moved  forward  to 
join  McCulloch  and  Governor  or  General  Jackson.  General 
Fremont  gave  the  rebels  chase.  Already  too  many  battles 
had  been  lost  because  the  Federals  were  not  quite  ready. 
This  time  all  preparations  were  carefully  made. 

General  Fremont  joined  General  Sigel  at  Osage  River, 
with  thirty  thousand  men ;  and,  five  days  later,  they  had 
bridged  the  stream,  and  crossed  in  search  of  the  rebels. 
General  Fremont  was  called  the  "  Pathfinder,"  because  he 
had  passed  so  much  of  his  life  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 


I2O      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

before  railways  were  built  in  the  Far  West.  When  he  took 
charge  of  the  Department  of  the  Mississippi,  he  began 
raising  a  cavalry  force.  At  first  it  was  to  be  but  a  single 
company ;  but  it  afterward  grew  until  several  companies 
were  formed,  and  accepted  by  the  Government. 

The  person  who  collected  and  drilled  these  men  was  a 
Hungarian  named  Zagonyi.  He  called  them  Fremont's 
"  Body-Guard ; "  and  they  were  the  finest  specimens  of 
strength  and  courage  that  could  be  found.  They  were 
drilled  to  move  as  one  man.  A  few  days  after  the  Union 
troops  had  crossed  the  bridge  over  the  Osage  River,  Gener 
al  Fre'mont  ordered  Zagonyi  to  go  in  advance  of  the  army 
to  see  what  the  enemy  was  doing,  and,  if  possible,  to  take 
the  town  of  Springfield.  With  the  Body  Guard,  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  strong,  and  about  the  same  number  of  Major 
White's  Prairie  Scouts,  they  rode  forward  ;  but,  when  they 
were  within  a  few  miles  of  Springfield,  they  learned  that 
there  were  two  thousand  Confederate  troops  waiting  for 
them.  What  would  you  have  done  ?  Well,  Major  Zagonyi 
never  thought  of  going  back ;  but,  calling  his  men  around 
him,  he  said,  — 

"  Fellow-soldiers,  the  hour  of  clanger  has  come.  Your 
first  battle  is  before  you.  The  enemy  is  two  thousand 
strong,  and  we  are  but  one  hundred  and  fifty.  It  may  be 
that  no  man  will  come  back.  If  any  one  wishes  to  turn 
back,  he  can  do  so  now."  He  waited  a  moment,  but  no  one 
stirred.  Then  he  went  on,  saying,  "  I  will  lead  you.  Let 
our  watchword  be, '  The  Union  and  Fremont.'  Draw  sabres  ; 
quick  trot ;  march  !  "  And  headlong  they  charged  into  the 
Confederate  ranks,  cutting  their  way  as  a  great  machine 
goes  through  a  wheat-field  to  cut  the  ripened  grain.  Sur 
prised  and  terror-stricken,  the  Confederates  scattered  in  all 
directions.  The  Body-Guard  seemed  to  them  to  be  wild 
beasts  let  loose  upon  them.  Away  they  flew,  the  little  band 


i86i.i  Western    Warriors.  12 1 

of  brave  men  at  their  heels.  Major  White's  Dragoons 
followed  them  into  the  very  streets  of  the  town.  Eighty- 
four  of  Zagonyi's  men  never  came  back ;  but  by  their  death 
they  had  earned,  not  only  fame,  but  the  thanks  of  Union- 
loving  people.  That  night  the  National  flag  waved  over 
Springfield. 

Affairs  now  looked  more  cheering  than  for  a  long  time. 
The  prospect  of  driving  the  Confederates  out  of  Missouri 
was  encouraging  to  the  Federals  who  had  been  so  persever 
ing.  But  just  at  this  crisis,  when  a  battle  was  expected 
at  any  moment,  General  Fremont  was  relieved  from  com 
mand  ;  Major- General  David  Hunter,  who  was  already  on 
his  way,  had  been  given  the  head  of  that  department. 

Complaints  against  General  Fremont  had  been  made  early 
in  his  administration  of  affairs.  Later,  a  great  deal  of  fault 
had  been  found  with  him,  and  every  scheme  that  had  failed 
was  laid  at  his  door.  So  Mr.  Lincoln  was  forced  to  yield 
to  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  him,  and  reluctantly 
removed  General  Fremont  from  command. 

General  Fremont  was  a  good  soldier,  therefore  he  knew 
how  to  obey.  When  the  order  arrived  for  his  removal,  he 
was  upon  the  eve  of  a  battle.  One  hundred  and  ten  of 
his  officers  begged  him  to  lead  them  to  fight  the  enemy. 
This  he  promised  to  do  if  General  Hunter  did  not  arrive 
before  the  next  morning.  But  Hunter  came  that  night,  and 
so  Fremont's  duty  was  done.  He  was  devotedly  loved  by  his 
soldiers,  and  it  was  a  heavy  blow  to  them  to  exchange  for 
a  stranger  a  leader  to  whom  they  were  so  attached.  General 
Fremont  made  a  touching  address  to  his  soldiers,  in  which 
he  bade  them  farewell,  and  urged  them  to  go  on  as  they  had 
begun,  adding,  "  and  give  to  my  successor  the  same  cordial, 
enthusiastic  support  with  which  you  have  encouraged  me." 

The  next  day,  with  his  staff,  General  Fremont  returned 
sadly  to  St.  Louis.  There  he  was  received  with  every  dem- 


122      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

onstration  of  respect.  A  grand  reception  was  given  him.  A 
torchlight  procession  paraded  in  his  honor,  and  cheers  and 
shouts  rent  the  air.  Finally  a  magnificent  sword  was  pre 
sented  to  him,  upon  which  was  the  inscription,  "To  the 
Pathfinder,  by  the  Men  of  the  West." 

The  famous  Body-Guard  was  disbanded ;  but  it  still  lives 
in  history,  for  the  wife  of  General  Fremont  has  preserved 
its  record  in  a  book  called  "  The  Story  of  the  Body-Guard." 
General  Hunter  assumed  command  of  the  Department  of 
Missouri  on  the  4th  of  November. 

He  did  not  remain  very  long  in  that  position,  however ;  for 
within  a  week  he  was  sent  to  the  Department  of  Kansas,  and 
Major-General  Henry  W.  Halleck  immediately  took  the 
position  made  vacant  in  Missouri,  with  headquarters  in  St. 
Louis. 

General  Halleck  took  very  vigorous  measures  to  establish 
order  and  discipline,  both  in  the  army  and  outside  of  it. 

The  Unionists  in  Missouri  had  suffered  cruel  persecution 
at  the  hands  of  their  rebel  neighbors  since  the  war  began. 
These  poor  creatures  crowded  into  St.  Louis  half  naked, 
homeless,  and  starving,  and  claimed  the  protection  of  the 
Government  authorities.  Feeling  that  the  secessionists  ought 
to  contribute  to  the  relief  of  those  who  had  suffered  for  their 
treason,  General  Halleck  ordered  them  to  give  liberally  for 
that  purpose,  in  "  money,  food,  or  quarters."  But  he  was 
not  so  tender  toward  the  negro  refugees  as  he  had  been 
with  the  whites.  He  would  not  allow  a  slave  to  enter  his 
lines,  because  he  was  afraid  that  the  secrets  of  the  camp 
would  thus  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands.  No  doubt  his 
motives  were  right.  But  it  was  proved,  before  the  war  was 
over,  that  he  might  have  trusted  the  negroes,  for  they  were 
always  loyal  to  the  Union. 

While  this  change  of  commanders  was  taking  place  in  the 
Northern  army,  Price  was  advancing. 


x86i.]  Western    Warriors.  123 

In  reply  to  a  rousing  appeal,  about  five  thousand  rebels 
were  persuaded  to  join  him.  General  John  Pope,  command 
ing  the  Union  army  in  Central  Missouri,  undertook  to  keep 
these  recruits  from  reaching  Price's  main  army.  Pope  was 
able,  luckily,  to  carry  out  his  purpose ;  for  by  the  i8th  of 
December,  over  fourteen  hundred  prisoners  had  been  cap 
tured  from  the  rebels,  as  well  as  two  supply-trains. 

Hearing  of  this,  Price  rapidly  fell  back,  pursued  by  Gen 
eral  Pope  and  General  Samuel  R.  Curtis,  who  had  lately  been 
appointed  to  the  head  of  the  Department  of  the  South-west. 

So  Price  was  finally  driven  out  of  Missouri ;  and,  although 
he  and  General  McCulloch  were  not  very  good  friends,  they 
joined  their  forces  in  Arkansas  early  in  1862,  where  we  will 
leave  them  to  recover  from  the  long  marches  and  the  sixty 
battles  and  skirmishes  that  had  been  fought  in  Missouri 
during  the  past  six  months. 


124      Young  Folks"  History  of  the  Civil    War.     [i86x. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ODDS    AND    ENDS. 

KENTUCKY,  like  Missouri,  was  a  slave  State.  Her  gov 
ernor,  Beriah  Magoffin,  was  a  thorough  secessionist. 
In  reply  to  the  President's  call  for  troops,  he  telegraphed  : 
"  Your  despatch  is  received.  In  answer,  I  say  emphatically 
that  Kentucky  will  furnish  no  troops  for  the  wicked  purpose 
of  subduing  her  sister  States." 

He  had  no  authority  for  giving  this  answer,  as  Kentucky 
had  not  been  consulted ;  and  there  is  little  doubt,  that,  at  a 
word  of  encouragement  from  its  officers,  the  State  would 
have  gone  with  the  North  as  a  whole.  As  it  was,  however, 
a  quarrel  sprang  up,  and  a  most  unhappy  state  of  things  was 
brought  about.  In  the  Legislature,  the  Union  party  was  the 
stronger ;  so  that  Governor  Magoffin  was  at  least  restrained 
from  taking  the  State  into  the  Confederacy,  where  his  heart 
was.  After  much  argument,  it  was  therefore  agreed  to  keep 
the  State  strictly  neutral ;  but  it  is  so  natural  to  take  sides, 
that,  after  a  while,  enlistments  for  both  armies  began.  People 
were  divided  in  their  opinions,  but  the  Union  sentiment 
prevailed  throughout  the  State. 

The  President,  however,  had  no  idea  of  allowing  Ken 
tucky  to  fall  into  disloyal  hands.  Arms  were  sent  to  citizens 
who  loved  the  Union  and  wished  to  stay  in  it.  It  was  not 
long  before  Camp  Joe  Holt  was  established  near  Louisville, 
and  Camp  Dick  Robinson,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State. 
Major  Anderson,  of  Fort  Sumter  fame,  now  General  Ander- 


Odds  and  Ends. 


125 


son,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Department  of  the  Cum 
berland,  which  included  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

You  will  see,  by  consulting  your  map,  that  these  States  lie 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  being  divided  by  that 
river  from  the  States  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  We  already 
know  how  disloyal  Missouri  was.  Early  in  May,  Tennessee 
was  induced  by  her  traitor  Governor  and  Legislature  to  join 
the  Confederacy,  al 
though  there  were  ma 
ny  Unionists  within  her 
boundaries  who  were 
displeased  with  the  act. 
On  the  very  same  day 
Arkansas  became  a 
Confederate  State. 

Now,  you  will  see 
that  the  Mississippi 
River  makes  a  sudden 
bend  just  where  Illinois 
comes  down  like  a 
wedge  between  Mis 
souri  and  Kentucky.  In 
this  curve  were  the 
towns  of  Cairo  and 
Bird's  Point,  both  of 

which  would   be  very  desirable  places   for  either  army  to 
occupy ;  and  both  sides  meant  to  have  them. 

Kentucky's  neutrality  did  not  keep  rebel  soldiers  out  of 
her  borders.  Major-General  Gideon  J.  Pillow,  at  the  head 
of  a  large  force,  was  pushing  north,  through  Tennessee  ;  and 
Major-General  William  J.  Hardee  was  making  for  the  same 
quarter,  through  Missouri.  It  was  therefore  very  necessary 
to  the  Confederate  cause  that  Kentucky  should  become  a 
rebel  State,  no  matter  how  the  people  felt  about  it. 


NEW    BOOTS    FOR   OLD. 


126      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

General  Leonidas  Polk  was  commander-in-chief  of  this 
department.  Like  most  of  the  leaders  in  the  Confederate 
army,  General  Polk  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point.  Soon 
after  he  had  finished  his  studies,  he  left  the  army  to  enter 
the  ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He  was 
very  successful  in  his  profession ;  and,  at  the  opening  of 
the  war,  he  was  the  bishop  of  Louisiana.  He  thought  it 
his  duty,  however,  to  return  to  the  army ;  and  early  in  the 
Rebellion  he  took  the  field,  with  the  rank  of  major-general. 
Bishop  Polk  was  a  slaveholder.  In  conversation  with  the 
senior  bishop  of  his  church,  upon  the  subject  of  leaving  the 
church  for  the  army,  he  said,  "We  fight  for  our  hearth 
stones  and  our  altars  :  above  all,  we  fight  for  a  race  that  has 
been  by  Divine  Providence  intrusted  to  our  most  sacred 
keeping."  This  shows  how  differently  good  men,  who  love 
and  fear  God,  can  look  upon  the  same  subject,  and  act  con 
scientiously  in  entirely  different  ways. 

General  Folk's  headquarters  were  at  Memphis,  Tennessee. 
He  ordered  New  Madrid  to  be  fortified,  and  urged  General 
Pillow  to  make  haste  in  taking  possession  of  Bird's  Point 
and  Cairo.  Seeing  the  great  danger,  should  such  a  thing 
happen,  General  Fremont  had  already  occupied  these  two 
towns  with  a  force  of  about  four  thousand  men.  This  for  a 
time  upset  the  Confederate  plan.  A  little  later,  however, 
General  Polk  seized  Columbus  and  Hickman,  two  towns  in 
Kentucky. 

General  Ulysses  S.  Grant  was  at  Cairo,  only  a  few  miles 
north,  too  near  to  be  an  agreeable  neighbor,  especially  as 
Union  troops  were  well  established  at  Paducah,  back  of 
Columbus,  to  the  east,  where  the  Tennessee  River  flows  into 
the  Ohio.  It  seems  almost  a  waste  of  breath  to  tell  you 
who  General  Grant  was,  for  he  has  been  the  President 
of  the  United  States  within  the  memory  of  the  youngest 
reader. 


isei.j  Odds  and  Ends.  129 

Still,  perhaps  you  may  not  know  that  he  was  also  a  West 
Point  graduate,  who  early  in  his  career  had  served  in  the 
war  with  Mexico,  having  been  promoted  to  a  captaincy  for 
his  courage.  He  was  not  in  the  army  when  the  war  broke 
out;  but  he  soon  entered  the  volunteer  service,  and  was 
again  promoted.  This  time  he  was  chosen  colonel  of  an 
Illinois  regiment,  and  was  very  soon  made  brigadier-general 
of  volunteers,  in  which  position  we  find  him  at  Cairo. 

While  General  Polk  was  getting  ready  to  attack  the  Union 
forces  on  the  Mississippi,  the  Confederate  general,  Simon  B. 
Buckner,  made  a  bold  attempt  to  seize  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
The  usual  preparation  for  a  surprise  was  made  by  cutting 
the  telegraph  wires. 

Having  captured  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railway,  the 
rebels  were  rapidly  nearing  the  city  of  Louisville  before  the 
plot  was  discovered.  The  usual  trains  failed  to  reach  Louis 
ville  in  time ;  and,  being  unable  to  get  a  telegram  over  the 
wires,  the  president  of  the  railway  sent  out  an  engine  to 
learn  the  reason.  Of  course,  General  Buckner  kept  the 
engine  and  the  secret  too.  A  fireman,  however,  succeeded 
in  getting  a  hand-car,  and  hastened  to  Louisville  to  tell  the 
news.  There  was  no  time  to  spare ;  and,  indeed,  nothing 
could  have  been  done  in  so  short  a  time  to  resist  so  large  a 
force,  but  for  the  loyalty  of  a  young  man  in  the  service  of 
the  railroad.  Suspecting  that  the  long  train  full  of  soldiers 
meant  no  good,  he  seized  a  crowbar,  and,  running  to  a 
curve  in  a  deep  cut  near  Green  River,  he  tore  up  four  rails. 
This,  of  course,  threw  the  train  off  the  track,  and  delayed  it 
for  twenty-four  hours.  The  young  man  was  taken,  but  es 
caped  soon  after,  in  the  confusion  which  followed.  General 
Anderson  did  not  wait  for  General  Buckner's  arrival ;  but, 
under  the  command  of  General  William  T.  Sherman,  he  put 
his  troops  in  motion,  to  meet  the  visitors. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  Confederates,  having  heard  of  the 


130      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

advance  of  the  Unionists,  fell  back  to  Bowling  Green,  which 
was  their  headquarters  for  several  months  afterward. 

General  Anderson's  health  failing,  he  retired  from  active 
service ;  and  General  Sherman  was  given  command  of  the 
Department  of  the  Cumberland.  This  was  in  October. 
Early  in  November,  General  Grant  made  a  demonstration  at 
Belmont,  with  the  idea  of  threatening  Columbus,  so  as  to 
keep  General  Polk  busy  while  a  force  was  sent  in  pursuit  of 
the  notorious  Jefferson  Thompson  and  his  guerilla  band. 

The  attack  upon  Belmont  was  at  first  very  successful.  It 
was  made  with  three  thousand  men  in  four  transport-boats, 
escorted  by  the  gunboats  Tyler  and  Lexington.  The  Union 
ists  had  already  driven  the  rebels  out  of  their  camp  and  set 
fire  to  it.  They  were  getting  off  with  horses,  guns,  and 
prisoners,  when  General  Polk  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon 
them,  and  sent  General  Cheatham  to  cut  them  off  from 
their  boats.  It  was  a  hard  fight  for  a  little  while ;  but  at 
length  the  Unionists  once  more  embarked,  and  returned  to 
Cairo,  having  lost  nearly  five  hundred  men.  General  Grant 
himself  narrowly  escaped  capture,  having  been  last  to  get  on 
board  the  boat.  Many  deeds  of  daring  were  done  on  both 
sides.  Captain  Walke,  who  commanded  the  Tyler,  having 
heard  that  in  the  confusion  some  of  his  men  were  left  be 
hind,  turned  his  gunboat  back,  and  in  the  face  of  the  enemy 
rescued  them  all. 

While  these  things  were  going  on,  Brigadier-General  Zol- 
licoffer  was  making  the  lives  of  the  Union  men  in  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky  a  burden  to  them.  His  soldiers  plundered 
friend  and  foe  without  mercy,  and  treated  the  loyal  inhab 
itants  of  those  States  with  the  utmost  cruelty.  Several  skir 
mishes  occurred  during  the  autumn,  in  all  of  which,  how 
ever,  General  Zollicoffer  was  beaten.  But  late  in  November, 
Buckner  made  a  sudden  advance,  driving  the  Nationals  out 
of  the  southern  part  of  Kentucky.  Taking  advantage  of  the 


SOLDIERS    IN    CAMP. 


i86i.]  Odds  and  Ends.  133 

situation,  the  Confederates  set  up  a  new  state  government 
and  passed  an  ordinance  of  secession. 

Meanwhile,  General  Don  Carlos  Buell  had  been  placed 
in  command  of  this  department,  in  the  place  of  General 
Sherman. 

There  was  an  irregular  kind  of  warfare  employed  in  those 
days,  which  was  more  successful  than  respectable.  Lawless 
bands,  called  "  guerillas/'  who  were  led  by  men  of  desper 
ate  character  and  undaunted  courage,  raided  upon  and  plun 
dered  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  the  country  through  which 
they  roamed.  When  General  Hunter  entered  Kansas  at  the 
head  of  that  department,  a  noted  guerilla  chief,  named  Gor 
don,  with  his  band,  was  making  depredations  which  it  would 
make  you  turn  pale  to  hear  about.  The  worst  of  it  was, 
that  secessionists  in  Kansas,  and,  indeed,  in  other  States, 
encouraged  these  guerillas.  To  put  an  end  to  such  a  state 
of  things,  General  Hunter  took  a  very  sure  way.  He  called 
upon  the  officers  of  the  county  where  this  Gordon  was  com 
mitting  his  worst  crimes,  and  said  to  them,  "  Gentlemen,  I 
give  you  notice,  that  unless  you  seize  and  deliver  to  me  the 
said  Gordon  at  these  headquarters  within  ten  days,  or  drive 
him  out  of  the  country,  I  will  send  a  force  to  your  city,  with 
orders  to  reduce  it  to  ashes,  and  to  burn  the  house  of  every 
secessionist  in  your  county,  and  to  carry  away  every  negro." 
Such  plain  talk  showed  that  he  was  in  earnest :  therefore,  for 
a  while  at  least,  there  was  an  end  to  such  things  in  Kansas. 

Under  a  different  name,  Texas  suffered  from  the  same  class 
of  people.  They  called  themselves  "  Texan  Rangers  ;  "  and 
a  prominent  leader,  Colonel  Henry  H.  Sibley,  who  had  once 
belonged  to  the  United  States  army,  was  their  leader.  These 
people  were  of  the  worst  sort.  They  did  not  kill  their  prey 
so  much  for  the  love  of  the  rebel  cause  as  for  plunder. 
Some  of  them  were  frightful  creatures,  half-wild,  carrying  a 
rifle,  a  tomahawk,  a  bowie-knife,  a  revolver,  and  a  lasso  for 


Jf 

134      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     \m\. 

catching  and  throwing  an  enemy's  horse.  They  looked  as 
shaggy  as  the  mustang  ponies  which  they  rode.  Colonel  E. 
R.  S.  Canby  did  much  to  rid  Texas  and  New  Mexico  of 
these  people,  who  were  far  worse  to  meet  in  ambush  than 
an  army  of  rebel  soldiers  face  to  face.  Nevertheless,  both  he 
and  the  famous  Kit  Carson  were  put  to  rout  by  a  thousand 
Rangers,  who  charged  down  upon  them  like  an  avalanche. 
So  wild  was  the  panic  of  the  Nationals  before  an  attack  of 
these  ferocious,  half-human  beings,  that  they  ran  away  in 
terror,  incapable  of  firing  a  shot,  or  of  obeying  an  order. 
For  months,  skirmishing  continued,  the  Nationals  usually  get 
ting  beaten,  although  so  many  battles  crippled  the  guerillas. 

At  last,  however,  Colonel  Canby  pressed  them  so  hard,  that 
they  were  glad  to  get  over  the  mountains  into  Mexico ;  and 
Canby  did  not  follow  them.  You  can  easily  see  that  the 
poor  Unionists  scattered  here  and  there  throughout  these 
States,  had  much  to  fear  and  to  endure.  In  East  Tennessee 
especially,  their  sufferings  were  extreme.  When  a  person 
was  suspected  of  loyalty  to  the  Union,  he  was  hunted  down 
and  shot.  Sometimes  his  home  was  robbed  and  burned. 
Sometimes  he  was  put  into  a  rebel  prison,  which  was  worse 
than  death.  Bloodhounds  were  used  to  catch  those  who 
tried  to  escape  to  the  North.  While  the  rebels  were  so 
angry  and  furious,  they  did  many  things  which  it  would  now 
make  them  ashamed  to  remember. 

A  Methodist  minister,  who  was  called  "  Parson  Brownlow," 
was  treated  with  the  utmost  cruelty.  He  edited  the  "  Knox- 
ville  Whig,"  which  he  made  so  loyal  and  truth-telling,  that 
his  enemies  determined  to  get  rid  of  both  the  paper  and 
the  editor.  As  threats  did  no  good,  they  put  him  into  the 
county  jail  at  Knoxville,  where  he  was  confined  for  many 
months.  Not  daring  to  assassinate  so  prominent  a  man, 
and  not  being  able  to  silence  him  in  any  other  way,  at  last 
they  sent  him  North  across  the  rebel  lines. 


i86i.]  Odds  and  Ends.  *35 

A  rebel  prison  was  but  a  name  for  the  inhuman  cruel 
ties  which  were  practised  upon  unhappy  Union  prisoners 
whose  misfortune  it  was  to  be  confined  in  them.  In  many 
instances  death  ended  a  captivity  too  horrible  to  be  borne. 
To  die  suddenly  upon  the  battle-field  would  be  a  blessing, 
compared  to  the  agony  of  confinement  in  Libby  Prison.  Or 
if,  by  reason  of  unusual  strength,  some  poor  fellow  lived 
to  see  the  prison-doors  swing  open  to  him,  it  was  too  often 
to  go  forth  with  health  and  spirits  broken,  with  the  hopeless 
life  of  an  invalid  before  him. 

By  this  time  money  was  getting  very  scarce  in  the  South. 
She  had  no  manufactories,  and  depended  upon  her  foreign 
trade  for  arms  and  clothing  :  so,  when  the  first  fine  new  uni 
forms  were  rusty  or  worn  out,  she  had  no  means  to  replace 
them.  Then  the  women  of  the  Confederate  States  came  to 
the  rescue.  They  dyed  cloth,  and  made  it  into  clothing, 
which,  from  its  color,  gave  the  soldiers  the  nickname  of 
"  Butternuts." 

By  the  end  of  the  first  year  many  of  the  men  in  the  ranks 
were  barefoot.  Privations  of  all  kinds  were  shared  by  all 
classes  of  Southern  people.  Delicate  women,  who  had  been 
reared  in  luxury  and  ease,  did  not  hesitate  to  soil  their  soft 
fair  hands  in  coarse  labor  for  the  sake  of  the  Confederacy. 
They  gladly  sold  their  jewelry,  clothing,  bedding,  books, 
any  thing  that  would  bring  a  price,  to  buy  comforts  for  their 
beloved  soldiers.  Indeed,  the  Southern  women  were  quite  as 
true  to  their  cause,  and  as  determined  to  win  it,  as  were  the 
men. 

The  Confederate  money  was  so  much  below  par,  that  is, 
worth  less  than  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar,  that  the 
cost  of  every  thing  became  very  high.  A  pair  of  boots  cost 
twenty-five  dollars.  Coffee  was  three  dollars,  and  tea  five 
dollars,  per  pound  ;  paper  was  twenty-five  dollars  per  ream. 
Salt,  which  is  so  absolutely  necessary  to  make  one's  food 


136      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

palatable,  could  scarcely  be  bought  at  any  price.  We,  who 
saw  the  war  at  a  distance,  can  hardly  form  an  idea  of  the 
hardships  suffered  by  the  people  into  whose  country  it  was 
carried. 

After  the  first  gush  of  patriotic  feeling  at  the  North,  South 
ern  sympathizers  began  to  spring  up.  There  were  several 
reasons  for  this.  Many  had  within  the  limits  of  the  Con 
federate  States  dear  friends,  who  were  in  danger.  Another 
reason,  quite  as  powerful  perhaps,  was,  that  pet  speculations 
in  cotton,  sugar,  or  tobacco,  were  going  to  fail  if  the  war 
continued.  Still  again  :  the  North  had  not  been  very  success 
ful,  so  far,  in  putting  down  the  Rebellion ;  and  the  South 
might  yet  succeed  if  it  could  be  encouraged.  So  every  pos 
sible  means  was  employed  by  these  sympathizers  to  assist  the 
rebels.  Women,  even,  would  manage  to  get  through  the 
lines  to  carry  aid  and  comfort  to  the  Confederates.  At 
Fortress  Monroe  so  much  annoyance  was  caused  by  this, 
that  no  one  was  allowed  to  go  South  without  a  passport ; 
but  even  then  some  contrived  to  escape  detection.  One 
Northern  woman,  whose  story  was  that  she  had  a  sick  rela 
tive  in  the  rebel  country  and  wished  to  visit  him,  was  con 
spicuous  for  the  number  of  buttons  with  which  her  dress  was 
trimmed.  There  were  rows  of  big  buttons  and  rows  of  little 
ones  ;  buttons  on  her  sleeves  and  buttons  on  her  skirt ;  but 
tons  to  the  right  of  her  and  buttons  to  the  left  of  her.  At 
last  the  curiosity  of  some  one  being  excited,  questions  were 
asked ;  and  the  woman  confided  the  fact  to  another  woman, 
who  told,  that  these  buttons  were  all  money,  —  eagles,  half- 
eagles,  quarter-eagles,  and  dollars,  in  gold,  which  she  was 
sent  to  carry  to  the  rebels. 

Another  woman  was  arrested  upon  suspicion.  Upon  ex 
amination,  it  was  discovered  that  she  wore  a  quilted  petticoat 
filled  with  pounds  and  pounds  of  sewing-silk  in  skeins,  in 
stead  of  cotton.  It  was  so  heavy,  that  it  had  to  be  supported 


Odds  and  Ends. 


137 


by  straps  over  her  shoulders.  This  also  was,  of  course,  in 
tended  for  the  use  of  the  Confederacy.  A  farmer's  wagon 
on  its  way  to  market  was  overhauled.  Among  the  vegetables 
was  found  a  squash  of  suspiciously  light  weight.  Upon 
opening  it,  a  package  of  letters  was  found  to  occupy  the 
place  which  Nature  had  intended  for  the  seeds. 


ARTILLERY    SKIRMISH. 

A  host  of  such  tricks  to  carry  aid  to  the  blockaded  South 
were  constantly  coming  to  the  light.  They  proved  that  the 
Southern  sympathizers,  especially  the  women,  were  working 
as  patiently  as  beavers,  and  as  quietly  as  mice.  But 

"  The  best-laid  plans  o'  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  a-gley." 


138      Young  Folks1  History  of  t/tc  Civil   War.     [1861. 


CHAPTER    X. 

OLD  MEN  FOR  COUNCIL,  YOUNG  MEN  FOR  WAR. 

AT  the  time  of  his  appointment  to  his  new  office,  Mc- 
Clellan  was  the  most  successful  general  who  had  yet 
taken  any  part  in  the  war. 

Things  were  going  like  a  sled  over  bare  ground,  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  when  General  McClellan  was  called 
to  be  its  leader.  The  "  three-months  "  men  were  impatient 
to  go  home.  The  new  troops,  enlisted  at  the  second  call, 
were  raw  ;  and  every  thing  was  in  a  state  of  confusion.  The 
battle  of  Bull  Run  had  discouraged  many  of  the  Northern 
people.  The  rebels  were  so  jubilant,  and  sure  of  success, 
that  their  very  confidence  had  the  effect  to  make  them 
stronger. 

General  McDowell  was  blamed  most  unjustly  for  the 
national  defeat  at  Bull  Run.  It  therefore  seemed  necessary 
to  change  commanders,  in  order  to  produce  at  the  North  a 
feeling  of  confidence,  and  to  rouse  enthusiasm. 

The  first  thing  that  General  McClellan  did,  was  to  make 
the  soldiers  his  friends.  He  used  to  talk  to  them  in  this 
way  :  "  Soldiers,  we  have  had  our  last  retreat.  We  have  seen 
our  last  defeat.  You  stand  by  me,  and  I  will  stand  by  you, 
and  victory  shall  be  ours  !  "  They  liked  the  ring  of  this.  It 
was  not  long  before  the  new  commander  was  on  the  best 
of  terms  with  his  army,  who  called  him  their  "  Young  Na 
poleon."  He  made  many  reforms  in  the  habits  of  the  men. 
Among  other  things,  he  wished  them  to  "  remember  the  sab- 


i86i.]    Old  Men  for  Council,  Young  Men  for  War.    139 

bath  day  to  keep  it  holy,"  which  seems  to  have  been  quite 
forgotten.  General  McClellan  knew  that  a  good  man  will 
do  any  thing  better  than  a  bad  man ;  and  so  he  tried  first  to 
train  his  army  to  do  its  duty  from  a  desire  to  do  right.  His 
own  moral  character  was  above  reproach.  He  insisted  upon 
the  most  rigid  obedience  to  orders.  Dismissing  such  officers 
as  he  thought  incompetent,  he  undertook  to  "  re-organize," 
or  to  make  over  his  army,  to  suit  his  own  ideas.  No  money 
was  spared  to  make  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  perfect  in 
every  detail  General  McDowell  said  of  it,  "There  never 
was  an  army  in  the  world  supplied  as  well  as  ours.  I  believe 
that  a  French  army  half  its  size  could  live  on  what  we  waste." 
It  is  true  that  a  great  deal  of  time  and  money  were  spent 
in  getting  ready  for  action ;  but,  as  everybody  trusted  the 
earnest  young  commander,  nobody  found  fault.  And,  in 
deed,  no  one  could  do  so  rightly.  It  takes  time  to  drill  so 
large  a  body  of  raw  troops,  and  to  teach  them  the  art  of  war. 

Besides  the  thirty-two  forts  already  defending  Washington, 
sixteen  more  were  built  and  armed  in  the  short  space  of  six 
weeks.  Surrounded  by  forts  as  it  was,  and  full  of  soldiers 
as  a  hive  is  full  of  bees,  the  city  of  Washington  was  almost 
blockaded.  The  rebels  had  built  forts  and  planted  their 
flags  within  a  day's  march  of  the  city.  Nearly  all  the  provis 
ion  had  to  be  brought  by  water,  and  rebel  batteries  were  so 
placed  along  the  Potomac  as  to  command  the  boats  that 
carried  supplies.  One  of  these  batteries,  at  the  mouth  of. 
Aquia  Creek,  was  bombarded  for  several  hours  by  the  frigate 
Pawnee  and  some  gunboats ;  but  they  failed  to  silence  it. 

Agents  had  already  been  sent  to  Europe  to  buy  arms  and 
ammunition  for  immediate  need ;  and  in  a  short  time  our 
own  armories  were  able  to  manufacture  all  that  were  wanted. 

In  September  General  McClellan  ordered  a  review  of  the 
forces  on  the  north  side  of  the  Potomac.  It  was  a  fine  sight 
to  see  seventy  thousand  well-drilled,  well-uniformed  soldiers 


140      Young  Folks"  History  of  tlic  Civil   War.     [:C6i. 

passing  in  line  before  the  President  and  his  Cabinet.  This 
army  represented  the  best  blood  in  the  nation.  Members  of 
every  profession  were  gathered  here.  Some  one  has  said 
that  an  order  somewhat  like  this  might  have  been  given  : 
"  Artists,  to  the  front !  Poets,  charge  !  Lawyers,  doctors, 
ministers,  stand  by  your  guns  !  "  and  each  order  would  have 
been  answered  by  whole  companies  of  men. 

General  McClellan  also  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  counting 
two  French  princes  among  the  members  of  his  staff.  The 
Compte  de  Paris  and  the  Due  de  Chartres  were  grandsons 
of  King  Louis  Philippe,  whose  reign  in  France  was  ended  in 
the  bloody  revolution  of  1848.  Coming  to  America  just  at 
this  time,  these  young  men  offered  their  services  to  the  Union 
army,  were  duly  commissioned,  and  served  without  pay  as 
aides-de-camp  to  General  McClellan  until  the  following 
summer. 

While  this  immense  army  was  occupying  the  forts  in  and 
about  Washington,  hundreds  of  picket-guards,  or  sentinels, 
were  keeping  watch,  by  night  and  by  day,  at  every  possible 
point  which  the  enemy  could  attack.  No  doubt  it  seemed 
a  little  thing  to  do,  to  tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  up  and  down, 
across  the  end  of  a  bridge,  all  night  long.  But  one  night 
William  Scott  was  caught  sleeping  at  his  post  near  the  Chain 
Bridge.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  one's  eyes  wide  open  in 
such  a  place ;  for  this  bridge  spanned  the  Potomac  near 
Washington,  and  the  enemy  was  not  very  far  from  the 
opposite  end. 

The  punishment  for  such  neglect  is  death ;  and,  of  course, 
William  was  arrested.  He  was  taken  before  a  court-martial, 
which  consists  of  a  number  of  officers  chosen  to  try  a  sol 
dier  for  an  offence,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  be  shot.  His 
friends  went  to  Washington,  and  told  the  story  to  the  Presi 
dent,  begging  that  the  boy's  life  might  be  spared. 

Mr.  Lincoln  listened  patiently,  asking  a  great  many  ques- 


McCLELLAN    WITH    HIS   TROOPS. 


i86x.i    Old  Men  for  Council,   Young  Men  for  War.    143 

tions.  He  found  that  the  sentinel  was  young,  and  that,  as 
he  had  not  slept  for  several  nights,  he  was  very  weary.  The 
President  remembered  that  his  own  boys,  so  dear  to  him, 
were  ready  to  close  their  eyes  after  one  day  of  fatigue.  So 
he  freely  signed  the  pardon.  After  the  messenger  was  gone, 
Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  think  about  it.  What  if  the  pardon 
should  not  get  there  in  time  !  William  Scott  was  to  be  shot 
at  sunset.  The  President  looked  at  his  watch,  and  began  to 
be  very  anxious.  Then  he  ordered  his  horses  to  be  har 
nessed  quickly ;  and,  getting  into  his  carriage,  this  busy 
man,  who  commanded  all  the  armies  of  the  North,  drove 
rapidly  to  the  place  where  the  condemned  sentry  was,  and 
carried  his  pardon  to  him.  So  full  of  tender  compassion 
was  the  heart  of  the  man  whom  the  South  looked  upon  as  a 
tyrant. 

Not  long  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Mr.  Lincoln  paid  a 
visit  to  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  then  at  Fort  Corcoran,  near 
Washington.  General  Sherman  was  at  that  time  the  colonel 
of  a  volunteer  regiment.  It  happened,  that,  on  that  morn 
ing,  a  captain  insisted  upon  his  right  to  return  home,  as  his 
time  was  up.  Colonel  Sherman  explained  to  him  that  orders 
had  been  given  for  volunteers  to  remain  until  they  were  dis 
charged. 

Still  the  officer  expressed  his  intention  to  go.  Colonel 
Sherman  ended  the  conversation  by  saying,  "  If  you  attempt 
to  leave  without  orders,  it  will  be  mutiny,  and  I  will  shoot 
you  like  a  dog." 

The  captain  paused  a  moment,  and  then  walked  back  to 
the  fort.  Before  Mr.  Lincoln's  carriage  arrived,  the  drum 
had  called  the  "assembly;  "  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  regi 
ment  was  in  line  to  receive  him.  We  will  let  Colonel  Sher 
man  tell  us  the  story.  - 

*'  Mr.  Lincoln  stood  up  in  his  carriage,  and  made  one  of 
the  "neatest,  best,  and  most  feeling  addresses  I  ever  listened 


144     Yottng  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

to,  referring  to  our  late  disaster  at  Bull  Run,  the  high  duties 
that  still  devolved  upon  us,  and  the  brighter  days  to  come. 
At  one  or  two  points  the  soldiers  began  to  cheer;  but  he 
promptly  checked  them,  saying,  '  Don't  cheer,  boys.  I  con 
fess  I  rather  like  it  myself;  but  Colonel  Sherman  here  says 
it  is  not  military,  and  I  guess  we  had  better  defer  to  his 
opinion.'  " 

Before  he  finished  his  speech,  he  told  the  soldiers  that  he 
was  their  chief,  and  he  asked  any  one  who  had  any  wrong 
to  complain  of  to  come  to  him  with  it.  Not  long  after,  the 
captain  with  whom  Colonel  Sherman  had  the  difficulty  in 
the  morning  pressed  his  way  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  told  him 
his  story. 

"Threatened  to  shoot  you?"  echoed  the  President. 

"  Yes,  sir,  he  threatened  to  shoot  me,"  the  officer  repeated. 

The  Commander-in-Chief  glanced  from  the  captain  to 
Colonel  Sherman ;  then,  stooping  down,  he  said  in  a  loud 
whisper,  "  Well,  if  I  were  you,  and  he  threatened  to  shoot, 
I  would  not  trust  him,  for  I  believe  he  would  do  it."  The 
humbled  captain  slipped  away,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the 
crowd.  When  the  President  had  a  good  chance  to  speak  to 
Colonel  Sherman  of  the  captain  and  his  troubles,  he  said, 
"  Of  course,  I  did  not  know  any  thing  about  it ;  but  I  thought 
that  you  knew  your  own  business  best." 

These  stories  will  give  you  an  idea  of  the  gentleness, 
patience,  and  wisdom  of  the  man  to  whom  was  intrusted 
the  responsibility  and  direction  of  the  Republic. 

The  Federal  forces  had  been  so  constantly  increased,  that 
more  room  was  needed  for  their  accommodation  ;  and  it 
began  to  be  hinted  that  space  was  likely  to  be  taken  on  the 
Confederate  side  of  the  Potomac.  The  two  armies  had 
stood  looking  at  each  other  across  the  river  quite  long 
enough.  General  McClellan  therefore  ordered  small  detach 
ments  to  reconnoitre  in  several  directions  in  order  to  find 


i86i.]    Old  Men  for  Council^  Young  Men  for  War.    145 

out  the  strength  of  the  enemy.  A  good  many  skirmishes 
took  place  in  consequence,  but  nothing  of  great  importance 
occurred  until  late  in  the  autumn. 

There  had  been  two  small  battles  at  Darnestown  and 
Lewinsburg,  however.  General  McClellan  now  ordered 
General  C.  P.  Stone  to  make  a  demonstration,  or  pretence 
of  attack,  upon  Leesburg,  in  order  to  discover  the  enemy's 
strength,  while  General  McCall  was  to  advance  upon  Draines- 
ville.  Scouts  brought  in  word  that  a  rebel  encampment,  not 
very  well  guarded,  lay  in  a  tempting  position  across  the 
river ;  and  General  Stone  lost  no  time  in  looking  for  it.  He 
sent  a  small  force  under  Colonel  Devens,  from  the  mainland 
to  Harrison's  Island,  which  divides  the  stream ;  and,  re-em 
barking  in  flatboats,  they  crossed  to  the  Virginia  shore  of 
the  Potomac.  Here,  with  great  difficulty,  they  climbed  the 
steep,  slippery  bank,  which  is  more  than  one  hundred  feet 
high,  known  as  Ball's  Bluff.  They  intended  to  surprise  the 
enemy,  whom  the  scouts  thought  that  they  had  seen  on  this 
bluff,  but  which  proved  only  to  be  openings  in  the  trees, 
through  which  the  light  made  moving  shadows  on  the 
ground.  They  set  out  in  the  morning  twilight,  and  kept 
pressing  on  till  within  a  mile  of  Leesburg,  but  found  no  ene 
my.  At  seven  o'clock  they  found  themselves  in  an  open  field, 
with  woods  on  three  sides,  and  on  the  fourth  the  river,  at  the 
foot  of  the  steep  embankment  of  Ball's  Bluff  behind  them. 

Here  they  were  ordered  to  wait  for  re-enforcements.  These 
came  at  last,  under  Colonel  Baker,  who  immediately  took 
command  as  acting  brigadier-general.  The  woods  swarmed 
with  rebels,  like  mosquitoes  in  a  swamp,  who  had  been  watch 
ing  them,  unseen.  Well  aware  that  there  were  plenty  of 
soldiers  within  sound  of  the  firing,  and  expecting  assistance 
from  General  McCall  and  General  Smith,  the  Nationals  stood 
their  ground  manfully.  They  did  not  know  that  these  re- 
enforcements  had  been  ordered  in  another  direction,  and 


146     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.     [x86x. 

were  already  marching  away.  The  Confederates,  having  all 
the  advantage,  showed  no  pity,  crowding  their  victims  nearer 
and  nearer  the  bluff  at  every  volley.  Hotter  and  hotter  still, 
the  battle  grew.  Colonel  Baker  was  killed  while  leading  and 
encouraging  his  men.  Finally  the  Nationals  were  thrown 
into  confusion  and  forced  over  the  bluff,  and  down  its  slip 
pery  banks.  All  but  one  of  their  boats  were  gone.  Upon 
that  they  placed  their  wounded,  but  it  was  so  overloaded 
that  it  quickly  sank.  As  it  filled  and  went  down,  the  cries 
and  shrieks  of  the  helpless  victims  were  piteous  to  hear. 

Of  those  left  on  the  river-banks,  some  seized  floating  logs, 
others  tried  to  swim  across  the  river.  Still  the  Confederates 
fired  upon  them  mercilessly,  and  many  a  soldier  was  shot 
while  struggling  in  the  water.  Colonel  Charles  Devens  swam 
the  river  on  his  horse. 

The  Federal  loss  on  that  sad  day  was  one  thousand  men, 
three  hundred  of  whom  were  drowned  or  killed  in  battle : 
the  rest  were  wounded  or  taken  prisoners.  Somebody  was 
to  blame  for  this  terrible  defeat :  so  General  Stone  was  ac 
cused,  and  even  arrested  and  imprisoned ;  but  he  was  after 
wards  acquitted  of  the  charge,  released,  and  served  with 
credit  under  General  Banks. 

The  Confederate  who  shall  write  a  history  of  the  battle  of 
Ball's  Bluff  for  boys  and  girls,  although  he  will  call  it  the 
battle  of  Leesburg,  will  blush  to  tell  these  things,  we  hope, 
and  will  only  say,  "We  won  the  fight,"  without  giving  the 
particulars. 

In  Colonel  Edward  D.  Baker's  death  the  country  mourned 
a  hero.  Charles  Sumner  has  called  him  "  the  Prince  Rupert 
of  battle."  Left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  he  supported 
himself  and  a  younger  brother  by  weaving.  Like  all  men 
who  have  become  truly  great,  he  spent  every  spare  hour  in 
reading.  While  still  young,  the  brothers  came  to  Illinois 
and  found  their  way  to  Springfield. 


BATTLE    OF    BALL'S    BLUFF. 


i86i.]    Old  Hfen  for  Council,  Young  Men  for  War.    149 

Edward,  the  eldest,  soon  began  the  study  of  the  law,  and 
became  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  West.  He  was 
sent  to  Congress,  where  he  was  distinguished  for  his  honesty 
of  purpose  and  gentle  manners.  Later  he  removed  to  Cali 
fornia,  and  afterward  to  Oregon.  When  Sumter  was  fired 
upon,  he  raised  the  celebrated  "  California  Regiment,"  which 
remained  under  his  command  till  he  fell  pierced  with  six 
ghastly  wounds. 

In  his  heroic  death,  Colonel  Baker  was  not  alone.     Lieu- 


VOLUNTEER    HOSPITAL. 

tenant  Putnam,  of  whom  the  city  of  Boston  may  well  be 
proud,  blameless  and  unselfish  in  his  life,  was  mortally 
wounded.  The  surgeon  hastened  to  him  ;  but  he  refused 
even  to  allow  his  wound  to  be  examined  until  others  had 
been  attended  to,  since  he  knew  that  he  must  die,  while 
some  other  poor  fellow  could  thus  be  saved. 

Ten  days  after  the  disaster  and  defeat  at  Ball's  Bluff,  Gen 
eral  Scott,  who  had  become  too  aged  and  infirm  for  active 
duty,  resigned  his  position  as  commander-in-chief  of  the 
army.  After  fifty-two  years  of  loyal  service  to  his  country, 
this  honored  veteran's  resignation  was  accepted  with  pro- 


150     Young  Folks    History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [186:. 

found  and  sincere  regret.  He  was  born  in  Virginia,  entered 
the  United-States  service  in  1808  as  captain,  was  made  lieu 
tenant-colonel  in  1812,  and  was  thereafter  rapidly  promoted 
for  gallantry.  In  the  war  with  Mexico  he  so  distinguished 
himself,  that  he  received  a  vote  of  thanks  from  both  houses 
of  Congress  ;  and  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general  was  created 
for  him.  He  once  received  the  nomination  of  the  Whig 
party  as  its  candidate  for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States. 
The  resignation  of  General  Scott  was  made  the  occasion  for 
the  review  of  his  military  career,  and  the  country  echoed 
with  his  praises. 

The  eyes  of  the  whole  nation  were  now  turned  toward 
General  McClellan  as  the  man  to  fill  the  vacant  place  ;  espe 
cially  as  his  name  had  been  suggested  by  the  retiring  general- 
in-chief.  The  appointment  was  hailed  with  delight  by  the 
people ;  and  the  soldiers  said,  "  Now  we  will  have  for  our 
leader  a  young  man  like  ourselves,  who  will  fight  with  us." 
The  cry,  "  On  to  Richmond  !  "  rose  louder  than  ever. 

Richmond  was  the  real  seat  of  the  Confederate  power, 
just  as  Washington  was  our  own  national  centre ;  and  the 
people  and  the  press  were  eagerly  clamoring  for  its  capture. 

In  the  same  autumn  General  Robert  E.  Lee  was  appointed 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Confederate  forces  in  Virginia. 
General  Floyd,  whom  you  remember  as  President  Buchanan's 
Secretary  of  State,  and  who  afterward  held  an  office  in  the 
rebel  cabinet,  now  entered  the  field  in  person.  He  com 
manded  a  wing  of  the  rebel  army  in  West  Virginia.  You 
know  enough  about  General  Floyd  already;  but  the  ac 
quaintance  of  General  Lee  will  be  more  agreeable,  as  well  as 
profitable.  Educated  at  West  Point,  he  served  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States  until  the  war  began.  He  was  grandson 
of  that  gallant  Harry  Lee  who  was  Washington's  great  friend. 
Not  only  was  General  Lee  a  good  soldier,  but  every  Chris 
tian  grace  helped  to  make  his  character  noble.  Owing  t(? 


i86i.]    Old  Men  for  Council,   Young  Men  for  War.    151 

his  birth  and  early  training,  he  was  a  slaveholder.  Now  he 
suddenly  found  himself  obliged  to  take  one  side  or  the 
other,  and  in  any  case  he  must  take  arms  against  his  dear 
friends.  It  is  said  that  he  shed  tears  in  the  struggle  to  make 
up  his  mind  honestly,  to  which  side  he  ought  to  offer  him 
self.  Since  the  war,  it  has  been  stated,  that,  before  this 
choice  was  made,  General  Lee  was  offered  the  command 
of  the  Union  army.  When,  at  last,  he  chose  the  service  of 
the  Rebellion,  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  acted  from  a  real 
desire  to  do  right.  Through  our  Northern  spectacles  it  is 
hard  to  see  this.  But,  in  talking  about  this  civil  war,  we 
must  try  to  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  Southern  men  thought 
the  National  Government  just  as  tyrannical,  as  Northern 
men  thought  them  rebellious. 

General  Lee  took  the  field  in  person.  His  army  was 
especially  intended  to  oppose  General  Rosecrans,  who  suc 
ceeded  General  McClellan  in  West  Virginia.  Floyd's  object 
was  to  push  between  Rosecrans  and  General  John  D.  Cox, 
who  commanded  the  other  wing  of  the  Union  army.  Floyd 
therefore  speedily  intrenched  himself  at  Carnifex  Ferry  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Gauley  River,  where  his  position  was 
so  advantageous  that  a  very  small  force  might  hold  it.  The 
Gauley  River  is  in  the  south-west  part  of  Virginia,  usually 
called  the  Kanawaha  Valley. 

In  September,  Rosecrans  issued  a  proclamation  offering 
protection  to  all  loyal  people  of  West  Virginia.  Learning 
that  General  Floyd  was  at  Carnifex  Ferry,  he  hastened  in 
that  direction.  Cox  in  the  mean  time  had  pushed  on  ;  and 
the  rebel  general,  Wise,  who  was  intrenched  at  Charlestown, 
became  alarmed,  and  fled  without  firing  a  shot ;  and  General 
Cox  immediately  took  possession  of  the  place.  Rosecrans, 
with  ten  thousand  men,  now  met  Floyd  on  the  banks  of  the 
Gauley.  General  Benham's  brigade  was  in  advance ;  and 
the  Tenth  Ohio  Regiment,  under  Colonel  Lytle,  led  the  way. 


152      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

The  battle  was  short  but  severe.  In  the  height  of  the 
action,  when  it  seemed  as  if  energy  and  skill  might  carry  the 
day  against  odds,  General  Rosecrans  ordered  the  withdrawal 
of  his  troops  to  wait  till  the  morning.  But,  when  morning 
came,  not  a  rebel  was  to  be  seen.  -  Floyd  had  stolen  away  in 
the  dark,  not  caring  to  meet  so  desperate  an  enemy  a  second 
time.  After  pursuing  Floyd  a  little  way,  Rosecrans  returned 
to  his  strong  position  on  the  Gauley. 

The  battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry  was  regarded  as  a  national 
victory  at  the  North,  on  account  of  the  military  position 
which  had  been  gained. 

A  part  of  General  Rosecrans'  army,  under  General  John 
F.  Reynolds,  had  been  left  in  the  Cheat  Mountain  country, 
to  keep  General  Lee  in  check.  He  succeeded  so  well  in 
doing  this,  that,  after  a  few  skirmishes,  Lee  retreated,  and 
joined  Floyd,  still  farther  south. 

It  was  during  one  of  these  fights  that  Lieutenant-Colonel 
John  A.  Washington  was  killed.  He  was  a  member  of  Gen 
eral  Lee's  staff,  and  the  former  owner  of  Mount  Vernon,  the 
home  of  General  Washington. 

General  Wise  and  General  Floyd  were  not  the  best  of 
friends ;  and,  in  order  to  keep  the  peace,  Wise  was  ordered 
to  return  to  Richmond.  Rosecrans  had  been  re-enforced, 
and  now  occupied  so  strong  a  position,  that  Lee  did  not 
choose  to  attack  him. 

In  October,  Lee  was  also  recalled  to  Richmond,  leaving 
the  field  to  Floyd.  The  Nationals,  therefore,  turned  their 
attention  to  him.  This  was  not  at  all  to  his  mind,  for  he 
ran  away  without  stopping  to  carry  his  tents  or  ammunition. 
Benham  pursued;  but,  as  he  was  recalled  before  he  had 
gone  very  far,  the  fugitives  escaped,  and  West  Virginia  was 
relieved  of  the  presence  of  General  Floyd. 

General  John  F.  Reynolds  and  General  Robert  H.  Milroy 
were  busy  all  this  time  in  other  parts  of  West  Virginia ;  and 


i86i.]    Old  Men  for  Council,  Young  Men  for  War.    153 

little  by  little  the  Union  army  crowded  its  way  farther  and 
still  farther  south,  until,  "at  the  end  of  1861,  not  a  rebel 
uniform  or  picket  was  to  be  seen  west  of  the  Cumberland 
Mountains." 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  gone  into  winter-quarters 
at  Washington.  It  is  true,  much  had  been  done  in  the 
twelvemonth  since  Major  Anderson  had  removed  to  Fort 
Sumter;  but  the  people  had  looked  for  greater  things. 
They  were  getting  impatient  to  strike  a  blow  which  would 
end  the  war,  and  send  their  soldiers  home  again.  The  daily 
message,  "  All  quiet  along  the  Potomac,"  was  sent  over  the 
wires  until  it  began  to  be  laughed  at.  The  autumn  was 
unusually  fine  and  clear.  Nobody  could  guess  why  this 
active,  enthusiastic  young  general,  who  had  promised  so 
much,  lingered  on  the  safe  side  of  the  river.  "What  is 
such  fine  weather  for,  if  not  for  fighting?  "  one  officer  asked 
another.  "What  are  they  waiting  for?"  "Why  do  they 
not  attack  the  rebels  in  their  own  country?"  the  people  at 
home  asked.  More  than  twenty  years  have  failed  to  answer 
the  question. 


154      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1861 


CHAPTER    XL 

ON    THE    SEA. 

THERE  is  a  custom  which  forbids  eating  with  one's 
knife,  or  wearing  one's  hat  in  the  house.  While  a 
person  cannot  be  hanged  for  doing  these  things,  well-bred 
society  is  offended  if  this  unwritten  law  be  broken,  and  the 
one  who  breaks  it  is  considered  rude  and  unmannerly.  So 
there  is  a  law  which  governs  the  conduct  of  one  nation 
toward  another,  which,  though  also  unwritten,  each  is  bound 
in  honor  to  keep.  This  law  does  not  allow  one  nation  to 
meddle  with  another's  affairs. 

Forgetting  how  it  had  come  about,  England  had  long 
blamed  the  United  States  for  holding  slaves.  Indeed,  she 
had  been  very  severe  in  her  fault-finding ;  and,  whenever 
an  American  abolitionist  chanced  to  visit  that  country,  he 
was  petted  and  feasted  on  account  of  his  principles.  It  was 
therefore  very  natural  that  the  North  should  expect  England's 
"  God-speed,"  when  civil  war  was  declared  ;  for  she  knew  very 
well  that  slavery  was  the  root  of  all  the  trouble.  To  the  sur 
prise  of  everybody,  however,  she  was  greatly  put  out  about  it. 
Can  you  guess  the  reason  ? 

Suppose  that  you  were  to  hire  a  boy  to  bring  you  a  bushel 
of  chestnuts,  and  he  had  a  dog  to  draw  his  wagon.  If  you 
saw  him  beating  and  abusing  the  poor  beast,  you  would  be 
sorry  for  the  animal,  and  scold  the  boy  well.  But  if  a  police 
man  were  to  arrest  the  boy,  and  take  the  dog  away  from  him, 
so  that  he  could  not  bring  you  your  chestnuts,  making  you 


i86x.j  On  the  Sea.  157 

the  sufferer  instead  of  the  dog,  it  would  be  another  thing. 
You  would  lose  the  chestnuts  through  the  meddling  of  the 
policeman,  and  you  might  be  vexed  with  him. 

That  was  the  way  in  which  England  felt.  She  has  so  little 
land  in  her  dominions,  that  her  rents  are  very  high,  and  her 
people  cannot  make  a  living  by  farming  :  so  there  are  a  great 
many  factories,  or  mills,  where  all  kinds  of  cloth  are  made, 
to  which  her  people  must  look  for  employment.  Now,  she 
must  have  cotton  to  work  with ;  and  all  the  cotton  came 
from  the  South,  being  raised  by  slaves.  If  her  trade  with 
the  South  were  stopped,  or  if  the  slaves  were  to  be  set  free 
so  that  there  would  be  no  one  to  raise  the  cotton,  her  mills 
would  be  idle,  and  her  own  pocket  would  suffer. 

With  the  wind  in  this  quarter,  England's  opinion  flew 
around  in  a  twinkling,  like  a  weather-vane.  The  trouble  in 
America  was  a  civil  war,  or  home  rebellion ;  and  outside 
countries  had  no  right  to  interfere.  Great  Britain,  which  in 
cludes  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  became  alarmed  at 
the  idea  of  losing  so  much  money  as  seemed  likely,  and  she 
grew  very  angry  with  the  policeman  who  had  taken  away  the 
dog.  Then  she  began  to  help  the  South  in  every  possible 
way  where  it  would  not  be  found  out.  She  knew  that  this 
nation  could  not  afford  to  declare  war  against  her  at  such  a 
time  :  so  she  bullied  us,  just  as  you  have  seen  a  strong, 
healthy  boy  threaten  a  lame  one. 

At  Glasgow,  in  Scotland,  men-of-war  were  built  for  the 
Confederates.  The  bonds  of  the  rebel  government  were 
taken  in  England,  and  in  Scotland  too.  But  one  cannot 
feel  very  sorry  to  know  that  their  loss  was  greater  than  their 
gain,  in  the  end,  when  the  war  was  over.  Without  giving 
direct  permission  to  fit  out  blockade-runners  to  trade  with 
the  Confederacy,  Lord  Palmerston,  then  Premier  of  England, 
at  least  winked  at  the  practice.  He  virtually  said  to  English 
ship-owners,  "  If  you  are  caught,  I  cannot  help  you,  because 


158      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     \m\. 

that  would  involve  the  nation  in  trouble ;  but  you  might  as 
well  try  it  on  your  own  account  and  at  your  own  risk,  for 
our  mills  must  have  cotton  from  somewhere."  From  first  to 
last,  England  sent  more  blockade-runners  to  Southern  ports 
than  all  the  other  nations  put  together. 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  Confederate  General 
John  E.  Magruder,  with  a  body  of  Virginians,  made  an  un 
successful  attempt  to  surprise  Fortress  Monroe.  A  rebel 
deserter  swam  across  Hampton  Creek,  from  the  town,  and 
gave  warning ;  so  that,  when  Magruder  arrived,  the  neces 
sary  arrangements  had  been  made  to  receive  him.  That 
night  the  town  of  Hampton  was  burned  by  the  disloyal 
Virginians  to  save  it  from  falling  into  Union  hands.  The 
old  Episcopal  Church  was  not  even  spared.  Dating  back 
nearly  two  hundred  years,  it  contained  memorial  stones 
bearing  the  name  and  crest  of  many  a  cavalier  and  gentle 
man  of  the  olden  time,  and  was  a  precious  heirloom  from 
the  first  colony  in  Virginia. 

About  the  middle  of  August,  Major-General  John  E.  Wool 
was  ordered  to  the  command  of  the  Federal  troops  at  For 
tress  Monroe  ;  General  Butler  taking  duty  elsewhere. 

It  had  come  to  the  ears  of  Commodore  S.  H.  Stringham 
that  English  blockade-runners  were  doing  a  brisk  business 
on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  The  commodore  told 
General  Butler,  who,  in  turn,  sent  the  news  to  Washington. 
Butler's  hint  was  taken,  and  an  expedition  was  immediately 
fitted  out  to  put  a  stop  to  the  trade  with  the  blockaded 
coast.  General  Butler  commanded  the  land  force,  and  the 
squadron  was  placed  in  charge  of  Commodore  Stringham. 
The  Minnesota  was  the  flag-ship  of  the  fleet,  and  two  other 
fifty-gun  frigates  bore  her  company.  Besides  these,  there 
were  several  smaller  vessels,  carrying  in  all  eight  hundred 
and  eighty  soldiers  and  seamen  with  necessary  supplies.  On 
the  evening  of  the  second  day,  the  little  flotilla  found  itself 


isei.j  On  tJic  Sea.  161 

off  Cape  Hatteras,  just  where  the  inlet  of  the  same  name 
opens  from  the  Atlantic  into  Pamlico  Sound.  Look  at  it  on 
your  map,  an.d  you  will  understand  that  this  inlet  was  a  key 
to  the  water-communication  of  the  coast  of  North  Carolina. 
On  the  western  part  of  Hatteras  Island  were  two  forts,  Hat 
teras  and  Clark,  under  the  command  of  the  Confederate 
Commodore,  S.  Barron.  The  third  morning  the  bombard 
ment  began,  and  lasted  all  day  without  producing  any  ap 
parent  result.  The  fourth  morning  it  began  again,  and 
forced  the  surrender  of  the  forts  at  noon.  The  Union  fleet 
returned  with  seven  hundred  and  fifteen  prisoners,  including 
Commodore  Barron.  Of  course,  the  Confederate  guns  and 
ammunition  were  captured.  Great  credit  was  given  to  the 
two  commanders  by  whose  skill  and  energy  this  important 
work  was  done. 

Still  following  the  Atlantic  coast,  we  will  go  as  far  south  as 
Florida,  where,  a  few  months  ago,  we  left  our  old  friend 
Colonel  Harvey  Brown,  commanding  Fort  Pickens.  The 
garrison  had  been  increased  from  eighty-two  to  eight  hun 
dred  and  eighty  men.  This  you  already  know.  Still  other 
re-enforcements  were  sent,  and  among  them  Wilson's  Zou 
aves  of  New  York,  a  regiment  recruited  from  among  the  very 
worst  men  of  the  city. 

Early  in  September,  Colonel  Brown  learned  that  the  rebels 
meant  to  float  their  dry-dock  from  the  Pensacola  Navy  Yard 
to  the  narrowest  point  in  the  channel,  and  there  sink  it.  To 
prevent  such  a  blockade,  Lieutenant  Shipley,  with  a  picked 
crew,  rowed  over  to  the  dry-dock,  one  dark  night,  set  fire  to 
it,  and  returned  in  safety  to  Santa  Rosa  Island,  having  in 
flicted  upon  the  Confederates  a  loss  of  half  a  million  dollars. 

Another  exploit  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Pickens  shall  be 
be  given  in  the  words  of  a  Confederate  eye-witness  :  — 

"The  enemy  executed  last  night  the  most  brilliant  and  daring  act 
which  has  yet  marked  the  history  of  the  war.  .  .  .  Last  night,  Sept.  13, 


1 62      You  Jig  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1861. 

they  made  a  most  daring  and  reckless  raid  upon  the  Navy  Yard. 
About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  five  launches,  containing  about 
thirty  men  each,  pulled  across  from  Santa  Rosa  Island  to  the  Navy 
Yard,  a  distance  of  about  two  miles.  Each  launch  had  in  it  a  small 
brass  howitzer  on  a  pivot.  They  were  led  by  an  officer  with  the  cour 
age  of  forty  Numidian  lions.  Under  cover  of  the  darkness,  silently, 
with  muffled  oars,  they  approached  the  wharf,  and  were  not  discovered 
till  very  near  it.  They  then  pulled  rapidly  toward  the  largest  schooner 
in  our  harbor,  and  grappled  to  her,  when  their  daring  leader  shouted, 
'  Board  her ! '  leading  the  way  himself,  with  a  cutlass  in  one  hand  and 
a  blazing  fireball  in  the  other.  He  threw  the  flambeau  into  the  hold 
of  the  ^  schooner,  and,  feeling  sure  that  she  was  on  fire,  he  ordered  his 
men  to  take  to  their  launches,  and  pull  for  their  life.  They  pulled  off 
a  short  distance ;  but  before  going  they  sent  back  a  shower  of  grape 
from  their  howitzers,  directed  upon  our  men  as  they  were  forming. 
The  schooner  burned  rapidly ;  and  we  had  to  cut  her  loose  from  the 
wharf  to  save  it  from  destruction." 

In  October,  an  expedition  against  Fort  Pickens  was  under 
taken  by  the  Confederate  General  Anderson,  with  twelve 
hundred  picked  men.  Landing  on  Santa  Rosa  Island  soon 
after  midnight,  they  marched  straight  to  the  Zouave  camp. 
It  was  a  complete  surprise.  The  conflict  between  two  bodies 
of  men  having  such  choice  fighting  qualities  was  desperate. 
The  Zouaves,  being  outside  the  fort,  received  help  too  late 
to  serve  them  much,  and  their  camp  was  nearly  destroyed. 
Officers  and  men  lost  their  clothing  and  nearly  every  thing 
else  which  they  had.  On  both  sides,  several  prisoners  were 
taken.  Still  later  in  the  season,  Colonel  Brown  opened  fire 
upon  the  enemy's  batteries,  which  extended  for  a  distance 
of  four  miles  on  the  mainland.  At  the  end  of  two  days' 
hard  fighting,  they  were  silenced,  and  the  Navy  Yard  at 
Pensacola  was  burned.  Fort  Pickens  was  not  much  injured 
by  the  shots  which  it  received ;  and  the  frigates  Niagara  and 
Richmond,  which  also  took  part  in  the  action,  escaped  with 
out  serious  harm. 

One  night  in  this  same  October,  under  cover  of  the  dark, 


i85i.]  On  the  Sea.  163 

a  steamer  slipped  out  of  Charleston  harbor,  carrying  two  men 
who  afterward  made  a  great  stir  in  the  world  on  account 
of  this  voyage.  Their  names  were  James  M.  Mason,  of  Vir 
ginia,  a  Confederate  envoy  or  message-bearer  to  the  govern 
ment  of  Great  Britain,  and  John  Slidell,  of  Louisiana,  who 
was  sent  on  the  same  errand  to  France.  This  Mason  was 
the  father  of  the  Fugitive-slave  Law.  The  ship  in  which  they 
sailed  did  not  go  directly  across  the  sea,  but  ran  southward 
to  Cuba,  and  landed  its  passengers  at  Havana.  Then  an 
English  mail-steamer,  named  the  Trent,  took  them  aboard 
and  started  for  England.  These  envoys  were  no  doubt  going 
over  to  see  if  they  could  get  the  governments  of  France 
and  Great  Britain  to  recognize  the  Confederacy.  Perhaps, 
too,  they  needed  more  help  to  carry  on  the  war. 

Some  little  bird  might  have  whispered  this  to  Captain 
Wilkes,  of  the  United-States  steamer  San  Jacinto.  At  any 
rate,  he  was  watching  for  this  British  craft.  When  about 
two  hundred  miles  out  at  sea,  Captain  Wilkes  signalled  the 
Trent  to  stop.  The  Trent  went  on,  however,  hoisting  the 
English  colors,  but  taking  no  other  notice  of  the  signal. 
Then  the  San  Jacinto  ran  up  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  sent 
a  shot  across  her  bows.  This  was  more  to  the  purpose. 
She  stopped,  or  "  hove  to  "  as  sailors  say,  and  asked  what 
was  wanted.  The  answer  was,  "  We  will  send  a  boat." 
Lieutenant  Fairfax  pushed  off,  and  soon  boarded  the  Trent. 
At  first,  the  two  men  who  had  caused  this  visit  refused  to  go 
with  the  officer  whom  Captain  Charles  Wilkes  had  sent,  one 
of  them  saying  that  it  would  take  considerable  force  to  take 
him  on  board  the  San  Jacinto.  But,  when  they  saw  that  they 
would  be  compelled  to  go,  they  changed  their  minds ;  and 
these  gentlemen  and  their  secretaries  were  conveyed  to  the 
San  Jacinto,  where  they  were  politely  received  by  Captain 
Wilkes.  Their  papers  were  not  disturbed ;  and  their  fami 
lies,  who  were  allowed  to  remain  on  the  English  steamer, 
proceeded  on  their  way. 


164      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1861. 

Mason  and  Slidell  were  taken  to  Fort  Warren,  in  Boston 
harbor,  as  prisoners  of  war,  where  for  once  there  was  no 
secession  in  the  air  they  breathed.  At  first,  Captain  Wilkes 
was  praised  by  everybody  for  his  promptness  and  wisdom. 
A  vote  of  thanks  was  passed  in  his  honor  by  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  Washington,  and  he  was  the  hero  of  the 
hour.  But  Great  Britain  threatened  instant  war  unless  these 
men  were  given  up.  France  joined  in  this  claim ;  and, 
although  England  had  done  a  similar  thing  herself,  the 
United  States  had  always  denied  the  right  of  foreign  nations 
to  interfere  with  her  shipping.  So,  after  deliberate  consulta 
tion,  the  authorities  at  Washington  gave  instructions  to  deliver 
these  Confederate  messengers  to  the  British  Government. 
They  were  quietly  taken  to  England  after  having  been 
delayed  two  months  on  their  voyage,  and  so  the  danger  of 
war  with  England  was  averted. 

In  the  mean  time  an  important  naval  victory  was  won  by 
the  Nationals  in  South  Carolina.  Port  Royal  is  the  finest 
harbor  on  the  southern  coast.  Midway  between  Charleston 
and  Savannah,  it  has  inside  water-communication  with  both 
cities. 

Beaufort  on  Port  Royal  was  a  delightful  summer-resort  for 
wealthy  planters.  Hilton  Head  is  the  largest  of  the  chain 
of  islands  forming  a  sort  of  breakwater  along  the  coast.  It 
is  famous  for  its  "  sea-island  "  cotton,  as  well  as  for  the  rice 
which  grows  there.  The  white  population  at  that  time  num 
bered  about  seven  thousand,  while  there  were  more  than  four 
times  as  many  colored  people  on  the  island. 

The  destination  and  purpose  *of  this  expedition  were  a 
profound  secret.  The  newspapers  tried  in  every  way  to  find 
out  where  it  was  going ;  and,  failing,  they  exhausted  them 
selves  with  guessing.  Excepting  a  few  of  the  officers,  who 
commanded  it,  even  those  who  took  part  in  the  expedition 
did  not  know  where  it  was  bound  till  they  were  well  out  at  sea. 


i86i.]  On  tlic  Sea.  •  165. 

A  fleet  of  nearly  eighty  vessels  had  gathered  in  Hampton 
Roads  ;  and,  early  one  bright  October  morning,  it  sailed  away 
with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  flying  proudly  to  the  breeze.  At 
Fortress  Monroe  the  troops  were  drawn  up  in  line  on  the 
ramparts  to  give  the  hearty  God-speed  which  the  sailors 
could  not  hear.  Every  living  creature  at  Old  Point  Comfort 
seemed  to  have  come  out  on  the  beach  to  see  the  grand 
procession  as  it  moved  out  of  the  harbor.  It  was  two  hours 
after  the  booming  of  the  signal-gun,  before  the  last  ship  had 
weighed  anchor ;  and  strains  of  martial  music  came  faintly 
back  as  the  sails  faded  in  the  distance.  Commodore  S.  F. 
Dupont  was  the  naval  commander  of  the  expedition.  The 
soldiers,  who  were  just  as  necessary,  were  under  the  charge  of 
General  T.  W.  Sherman,  not  General  William  T.  Sherman, 
of  whom  you  have  already  heard.  The  Wabash,  bearing  the 
pennant  of  the  commodore,  led  the  way ;  and  in  three  par 
allel  lines  the  others  followed.  It  was  a  grand  sight.  During 
that  day  and  the  next  the  weather  was  all  that  heart  could 
wish,  and  stormy  Cape  Hatteras  was  passed  in  safety.  But, 
toward  night  on  the  third  day,  a  storm  came  on  with  such 
fury  that  it  scattered  the  fleet  completely.  Only  one  vessel 
could  be  seen  from  the  flag-ship  the  next  morning.  With 
this  very  possibility  in  mind,  perhaps,  sealed  orders  had  been 
given  to  the  commander  of  every  vessel.  It  now  became 
necessary  for  them  to  know  where  they  were  going :  so  these 
orders  were  opened.  After  the  storm  abated,  the  vessels  be 
gan  to  gather  around  the  Wabash,  like  chickens  around  an 
old  hen.  Four  of  the  transports  were  lost;  but,  of  their 
officers  and  crews,  all  were  saved  except  about  a  dozen  per 
sons. 

On  the  fifth  day  quite  a  little  company  had  collected  off 
Port  Royal  bar,  and  other  vessels  were  still  arriving. 

When  night  fell,  notwithstanding  the  removal  by  the  enemy 
of  buoys  and  lights  by  which  to  direct  their  course,  the  fleet 


1 66      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1861. 

had  safely  passed  the  bar,  and  anchored  inside  the  harbor 
of  Port  Royal. 

Let  us  study  the  position  of  the  fleet,  and  mark  its  dan 
gers.  Here  at  the  south  lay  Hilton  Head  Island,  and  upon 
it  Fort  Walker  frowned.  At  the  north,  nearer  the  bar,  on 
Philip  Island,  was  Fort  Beauregard.  It  is  a  singular  illus 
tration  of  the  division  of  families  in  this  unhappy  time,  that 
General  T.  F.  Drayton,  who  commanded  at  Fort  Walker, 
was  brother  of  Captain  Percival  Drayton,  who  commanded 
the  Pocahontas  in  this  very  Union  fleet. 

Inside  the  harbor,  lying  close  in  to  the  shore,  was  a  rebel 
flotilla  called  the  "Mosquito  Fleet,"  because  the  vessels 
composing  it  were  so  small.  This  was  under  the  direction 
of  Commodore  Josiah  Tatnall,  who  had  done  good  service 
in  the  United  States  navy.  On  the  morning  of  the  yth  of 
November  the  Union  squadron  moved  slowly  up  the  bay. 

The  rebel  batteries  on  both  sides  gave  it  a  warm  recep 
tion,  which  was  acknowledged  in  the  same  spirit.  When 
the  engagement  had  lasted  two  hours,  the  flagstaff  on  Fort 
Walker  was  shot  away ;  and,  not  long  after,  firing  ceased  there 
altogether.  By  noon,  both  forts  were  silent.  Fort  Walker 
was  such  a  ruin  that  the  garrison  was  obliged  to  fly  for 
safety  to  a  wood.  For  six  miles  they  ran,  commander  and 
men  together,  carrying  their  wounded  in  blankets,  but  leav 
ing  their  dead  behind. 

The  Union  vessels  which  were  engaged  bore  traces  of 
rebel  shot,  but  the  loss  of  life  was  very  small.  After  the 
part  of  the  work  assigned  to  the  navy  was  done,  the  land 
force  took  formal  possession  of  the  forts,  hoisting  the  Na 
tional  flag.  The  town  of  Beaufort  was  seized  without  re 
sistance.  The  next  evening,  seventeen  boats  formed  a 
procession  to  bear  the  dead  to  their  last  resting-place,  in 
a  grove  of  orange-trees  on  the  island. 

General  Sherman  set  about  strengthening  the  defences  at 


i86i.]  On  the  Sea.  167 

Hilton  Head.  Dupont  sent  his  vessels  up  the  rivers  which 
flow  into  the  Atlantic  along  this  coast ;  so  that,  before  the  end 
of  the  year,  the  Unionists  held  a  strong  position  in  South 
Carolina. 

General  Sherman  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  people  of 
South  Carolina,  begging  them  to  remain  in  their  homes.  He 
assured  them  that  he  did  not  intend  to  harm  the  citizens, 
nor  destroy  their  property.  He  said  he  did  not  wish  to 
meddle  with  their  slaves,  and  offered  them  the  protection  of 
the  Government.  No  white  man  who  could  read  would 
accept  it,  insisting  that  there  were  no  "loyal  whites"  in  their 
territory. 

So,  after  the  masters  were  gone,  General  Sherman  had  the 
negroes  set  to  work.  In  vain  they  had  been  told,  that,  if  they 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Yankees,  they  would  be  sold  into  a 
worse  slavery  than  they  had  yet  known.  At  first  they  seemed 
afraid  of  being  left  alone,  unable  to  comprehend  that  the 
Union  Army  had  come  to  stay. 

Schools  were  very  soon  opened  on  Hilton  Head  Island, 
where  the  colored  people  were  taught  to  read  and  write. 
When  the  news  reached  the  mainland,  crowds  of  these  poor 
creatures  came  over  to  share  the  good-fortune  which  had 
come  to  their  brethren.  The  aged,  even,  applied  themselves 
to  study  with  eager  and  persevering  industry, 

Very  touching  stories  are  told  of  the  happy  meetings  of 
husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children,  who  had  been 
sold  away  from  each  other  years  before.  In  Mr.  Greeley's 
account  of  this  affair,  he  says  it  was  pathetic  to  see  poor 
slaves,  who  had  tied  up  all  their  little  possessions  in  a  hand 
kerchief,  crowding  around  the  ships  of  the  National  fleet, 
begging  to  be  taken  on  board.  No  doubt  they  hoped  in 
this  way  to  be  saved  from  their  miserable  lives  of  "  bitter 
bondage  "  like  those  of  the  children  of  Israel  in  Egypt.  It 
is  very  strange  that  the  negroes  were  never  afraid  of  the 


1 68     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     \m\. 

Union  soldier.  They  seemed  to  consider  him  a  friend,  who 
"  helpeth  them  to  right  who  suffer  wrong." 

All  the  white  inhabitants  of  the  island  ran  away  to  Charles 
ton,  first,  however,  taking  good  care  to  burn  all  the  cotton  on 
which  they  could  lay  their  hands,  rather  than  see  it  gathered 
by  Union  men. 

Immediately  after  the  victory  at  Hilton  Head,  Commodore 
Dupont  seized  Big  Tybee  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Savan 
nah  River.  Here  is  a  celebrated  Martello  tower,  which  is 
very  strong,  although  built  in  1812,  but  which  was  abandoned 
even  before  it  was  attacked.  The  possession  of  this  point 
enabled  the  Federals  to  keep  blockade  runners  out  of  the 
Savannah  River. 

Before  we  part  company  with  the  commander  of  the  fleet 
which  secured  such  a  triumph,  perhaps  you  would  like*  to 
learn  something  of  his  personal  history.  Commodore  Sam 
uel  Francis  Dupont  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  In  1815  he 
was  a  midshipman ;  and,  like  General  Scott,  he  was  rapidly 
promoted  for  gallant  conduct.  He  assisted  in  the  establish 
ment  of  the  naval  school  at  Annapolis  in  Maryland.  He 
had  much  to  do  with  the  lighthouse  system,  and  was  earnest 
in  trying  to  substitute  some  other  punishment  for  flogging  in 
the  navy.  In  1861  he  was  commandant  of  the  Philadelphia 
Navy- Yard.  Here  he  was  thrown  much  with  Southern  offi 
cers,  and  it  was  said  that  his  outspoken  loyalty  influenced 
many  of  them  to  remain  faithful  to  their  country.  "  In  the 
prime  of  life,  with  more  than  forty  years'  experience  in  his 
profession,  with  a  well-disciplined  and  cultivated  mind,  Com 
modore  Dupont  united  the  essential  qualities  and  accom 
plishments  which  distinguish  a  great  naval  captain.  Nor 
did  it  detract  from  his  abilities  that  he  walked  humbly  before 
God  as  a  Christian  soldier  and  gentleman." 

In  the  mean  while  the  famous  "stone  fleet"  appeared  off 
Charleston.  A  number  of  vessels  heavily  laden  with  stone 


isei.j  On  the  Sea,  169 

were  sunk  in  a  direct  line  from  Sumter  across  the  main 
channel. 

The  British  press  made  a  great  hue  and  cry  over  it.  Lord 
Lyons,  the  English  minister  to  the  United  States,  remon 
strated  against  it  in  behalf  of  his  government.  The  stone 
blockade  was  not  a  success,  however ;  as  the  old  vessels  were 
soon  washed  to  pieces  by  the  action  of  the  water. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  by  the  reader,  that  all  these 
events  on  the  sea  have  been  taking  place  at  the  same  time 
with  those  on  the  land  which  have  been  already  recited. 
And  this  brings  us  to  the  close  of  the  year  1861. 

But  before  we  enter  upon  the  new  year,  at  the  risk  of 
doing  an  unmannerly  thing,  we  will  take  a  peep  over  the 
shoulder  of  Mr.  Gideon  Welles  to  see  what  are  the  resources 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  On  the  4th  of  March  the 
entire  navy  consisted  of  seventy-six  vessels  of  all  classes. 
At  the  close  of  the  year  it  had  been  increased  to  two  hun 
dred  and  sixty-four  vessels ;  and  among  them  were  iron-clad 
ships  and  gunboats,  which  had  never  before  been  used  in  the 
United  States  service.  In  the  place  of  seven  thousand  sea 
men  there  were  now  twenty-two  thousand. 

And,  not  to  be  partial,  we  must  look  at  the  report  of  Mr. 
Simon  Cameron,  who  holds  the  portfolio  of  the  Secretary  of 
War. 

When  the  first  gun  was  fired,  there  were  only  sixteen  thou 
sand  troops,  regulars  of  course,  at  the  disposal  of  the  gov 
ernment.  In  December,  the  army,  including  regulars  and 
volunteers,  numbered  six  hundred  thousand,  and  this  with 
out  draft  or  conscription.  This  also  is  a  good  showing,  and 
from  it  we  may  hope  for  encouraging  results  in  the  year  that 
is  to  follow. 


170     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1861. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

"TWO    HEADS    ARE    BETTER    THAN    ONE." 

ONE  winter  evening,  in  a  hotel  in  St.  Louis,  three  friends 
sat  talking  about  the  war.  A  map  was  spread  out  on 
the  table  before  them,  which  they  studied  as  if  they  were 
learning  a  geography  lesson. 

With  a  big  blue  lead-pencil  in  his  hand,  General  Halleck 
asked,  "Where  is  the  rebel  line?"  General  Cullum,  one  of 
his  aides,  took  the  pencil,  and  drew  it  through  Bowling  Green, 
Fort  Donelson,  Fort  Henry,  and  Columbus,  Ky. 

"  Now,  where  is  the  proper  place  to  break  it?  "  continued 
General  Halleck.  General  Sherman  answered,  "  Naturally, 
the  centre  of  the  line."  Then  General  Halleck  drew  another 
mark  across  that  one,  near  the  middle,  saying,  "  That's  the 
true  line  of  attack." 

This  second  line  happened  to  be  actually  parallel  with  the 
course  of  the  Tennessee  River.  This  quiet  little  talk  over  a 
glowing  fire,  on  that  December  night,  affected  the  whole  war. 

General  Halleck  commanded  the  Department  of  the  West. 
General  Grant  was  at  Cairo  ;  and  a  part  of  Kentucky,  Illinois, 
and  Missouri  had  recently  been  added  to  his  "  military  dis 
trict."  As  we  already  know,  General  Don  Carlos  Buell  had 
just  been  appointed  to  the  Department  of  the  Ohio,  made  up 
from  a  part  of  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky.  General 
Hunter  was  in  Kansas,  and  General  Canby  in  New  Mexico. 
Under  the  direction  of  each  of  these  generals  were  many 
others,  who  carried  out  the  orders  which  they  gave. 


i86s.  | 


Heads  arc  Better  tJian  One," 


171 


Before  we  follow  General  Halleck's  operations  "  in  break 
ing  the  enemy's  line,"  we  must  turn  our  attention  to  his 
neighbors,  the  better  to  understand  the  reasons  for  his  move 
ments. 

About  the  first  of  January  the  Confederate  Major-General, 


JAMES    A.    GARFIELD. 

Humphrey  Marshall,  had  assembled  a  large  force  at  Paints- 
ville,  Ky.,  on  the  Big  Sandy  River.  This  stream  flows  into 
the  Ohio,  where  it  curves  around  the  lowest  point  of  the 
State  whose  name  it  bears. 

As  this  was  in  General  Buell's  department,  he  despatched 
Colonel  James  A.  Garfield  to  drive  the  rebels  out.  Before 
Colonel  Garfield  reached  them,  they  had  hurried  off  to  Pres- 


172     Young  Folks1  Plistory  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

tonburg,  which  is  not  far  away.  The  Nationals  followed,  and 
overtaking  the  enemy  at  noon,  where  he  was  well  posted, 
opened  the  battle.  "They  fought  like  brave  men,  long  and 
well ;  "  and,  at  dark,  the  gallant  young  colonel  had  com 
pletely  routed  the  rebels.  For  this  service,  Colonel  Garfield 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General  of  Volun 
teers. 

When  the  new  year  of  1862  came  in,  General  Zollicoffer 
was  quartered  opposite  Mill  Spring,  on  the  Cumberland 
River.  In  the  middle  of  December  General  George  H. 
Thomas  was  directed  by  General  Buell  to  advance  in  force 
to  meet  him.  But  the  rebels,  finding  their  position  too  weak 
to  defend,  when  the  time  came,  hastened  to  make  the  attack. 
On  the  1 9th  of  January,  very  early  in  the  morning,  the  op 
posing  armies  met.  The  Union  pickets  fell  back  slowly, 
sending  word  to  General  Thomas  that  the  enemy  was  near. 
At  six  the  battle  began  in  earnest.  For  a  while  it  was 
doubtful  which  side  would  win.  In  the  hottest  of  the  fight, 
General  Zollicoffer  was  killed.  The  Confederate  General, 
George  B.  Crittenden,  immediately  took  command;  but 
discouraged  by  the  loss  of  their  leader,  and  hard  pressed  by 
the  Nationals,  the  troops  did  not  hold  out  much  longer. 
Away  they  went  to  their  camp,  pell-mell,  a  movement  too 
disorderly  to  be  called  a  retreat.  It  was  not  thought  neces 
sary  to  follow  them  very  far,  as  the  Federal  guns  overlooked 
the  rebel  works.  Besides,  General  Thomas  supposed  them 
to  be  so  well  intrenched,  that  he  did  not  think  best  to  bom 
bard  them  that  night.  So  he  waited  until  morning,  when 
lo  !  not  a  rebel  was  to  be  seen.  Sure  of  defeat,  they  had 

decided  to 

"  Fold  their  tents  like  the  Arabs, 
And  silently  steal  away." 

Not  only  were  the  Union  arms  victorious,  but  the  deserted 
camp  was  found  to  contain  a  quantity  of  arms  and  ammuni- 


i862.i        "  Two  Heads  arc  Better  than  One:'          173 

tion,  which  could  not  be  carried  in  a  flight  so  hasty.  Gen 
eral  Crittendeil  retreated  in  the  direction  of  Nashville.  His 
soldiers  suffered  severely.  One  who  shared  that  flight  said, 
••  Tor  a  whole  week  we  have  been  marching  under  a  bare 
subsistence ;  and  I  have  at  length  reached  the  point  in  a 
soldier's  career,  where  a  handful  of  parched  corn  may  be 
considered  a  first-class  dinner." 

Mill  Spring  lay  upon  the  Cumberland  River,  where  its 
navigation  begins ;  and  as  the  rebels  received  supplies  from 
Nashville,  by  the  river,  its  occupation  by  the  National  troops 
was  important. 

For  some  time  General  Grant  had  been  urging  his  supe 
rior  officer,  General  Halleck,  to  give  him  permission  to  capture 
Forts  Henry  and  Donelson.  By  and -by  Commodore  A.  H. 
Foote  begged  to  be  allowed  to  join  General  Grant  in  such 
an  expedition.  After  much  delay  General  Halleck  gave  the 
order,  and  the  two  commanders  made  all  haste  to  get  ready. 
The  very  next  day  after  the  order  was  received,  General  Grant 
started  up  the  Ohio  River,  with  a  force  of  seventeen  hundred 
men  on  transport  boats,  escorted  by  seven  gunboats  under 
the  command  of  Commodore  Foote.  This  was  the  2d  of 
February.  A  glance  at  your  map  will  show  you  the  direction 
which  they  were  to  take.  Following  the  Ohio  River  as  far 
as  Paducah,  which  was  already  in  Union  hands,  the  little  fleet 
moved  cautiously  up  the  Tennessee.  They  were  wide  awake  ; 
for  a  friend  had  warned  them  that  the  river  was  full  of  tor 
pedoes,  many  of  which  they  "  fished  up,"  and  they  sailed  over 
others  without  harm.  A  torpedo  bears  no  resemblance  to  the 
toy  of  that  name,  with  which  very  little  children  celebrate  the 
Fourth  of  July.  This  was  a  sheet-iron  cylinder,  or  tube, 
pointed  at  both  ends,  and  containing  about  seventy-five 
pounds  of  powder.  It  was  anchored  in  the  channel  of  a 
stream,  below  the  surface  of  the  water.  Connected  with  the 
powder  was  a  slow-match,  or  fuse,  so  arranged,  that,  by  means 


1/4     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War. 

of  a  rod  or  lever  extending  upwards  from  it,  a  percussion-cap 
set  the  fuse  on  fire,  when  struck  by  unwary  ships  which  might 
pass  over  it. 

The  transports  followed  the  gunboats  closely.  General 
Grant's  army  consisted  of  two  divisions,  under  General  C.  F. 
Smith,  and  General  McClernand.  Early  one  morning  this 
goodly  company  landed  a  few  miles  below  Fort  Henry,  just 
where  General  Cullum  had  drawn  that  blue  line,  up  and 
down. 

There  were  two  kinds  of  fighting-boats  employed  in  river 
warfare.  One  was  a  ship  cut  down  to  the  deck,  and  fur 
nished  with  a  plated  iron  roof,  which  shed  shot  and  shell  as 
feathers  shed  the  water  from  a  duck's  back.  These  gunboats 
were  under  the  charge  of  Commodore  Foote.  The  other 
kind  was  called  a  "  ram  ;  "  because,  like  a  cross  old  sheep,  it 
butted  its  heavy  and  iron-clad  prow  into  the  stanchest  ships, 
staving  holes  in  their  sides.  Both  were  well  armed,  and  pro 
pelled  by  strong  engines. 

The  morning  of  Saturday  dawned  brightly.  All  were  eager 
to  begin  the  battle  ;  but,  owing  to  a  heavy  storm  during  the 
night,  the  roads  were  nearly  impassable.  Notwithstanding 
the  utmost  efforts  to  reach  Fort  Henry,  firing  began  from  the 
gunboats  before  the  land-troops  could  possibly  reach  it  in 
the  rear.  The  battle  was  short.  The  brave  Confederate 
General,  Tilghman,  who  commanded  Fort  Henry,  had  sent 
off  nearly  all  his  men  to  re-enforce  Donelson.  With  the  few 
that  remained,  he  held  out  as  long  as  he  could,  directing  the 
shots,  and  himself  working  one  of  the  guns.  In  vain  he 
tried  to  encourage  his  men.  After  a  hard  struggle,  lasting 
an  hour  and  five  minutes,  the  little  garrison  surrendered, — 
ninety-four  officers  and  men,  all  told. 

Commodore  Foote  immediately  returned  to  Cairo,  to  take 
care  of  his  wounded  and  scalded  men.  On  Sunday  he  at 
tended  a  Presbyterian  Church,  but  no  clergyman  came. 


i862.]        "  Two  Heads  arc  Better  than  One."         177 

Since  there  was  no  one  else  to  conduct  Divine  service, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  do  so.  He  prayed  devoutly ;  and  he 
preached  such  an  earnest  sermon,  that  many  of  those  who 
heard  him  were  won  over  to  the  National  cause.  His  text 
was,  "  Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled ;  ye  believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  me."  Commodore  Foote  was  an  every-day 
Christian.  Always  careful  to  keep  Sunday  wherever  he  was, 
he  used  to  read  and  explain  the  Bible  to  his  crew  on  that 
day,  whenever  it  was  possible.  His  motto  seemed  to  be, 
"Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily." 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  Fort  Henry,  Commodore 
Foote  sent  three  wooden  gunboats,  under  Lieutenant  Com 
mander  Phelps,  up  the  Tennessee  River  as  far  as  Florence, 
Alabama.  He  cut  the  railroad  between  Bowling  Green  and 
Memphis,  by  destroying  the  drawbridge  over  the  Tennessee 
River,  thus  breaking  the  Confederate  communication  with 
Donelson.  It  was  a  very  brilliant  exploit,  for  which  the  offi 
cer  commanding  the  expedition  received  the  highest  praise. 

Six  days  after  Fort  Henry  was  taken,  General  Grant's 
troops,  which  had  been  left  there,  set  out  for  Fort  Donelson. 
It  was  a  warm,  soft  morning ;  and  the  birds  were  hardly  up 
when  the  tramp  of  those  fifteen  thousand  men  broke  upon 
the  stillness. 

Commodore  Foote  was  busy  too.  This  time  he  led  his 
fleet  from  Cairo  up  the  Ohio  River,  beyond  Paducah,  up  the 
Cumberland  River,  upon  which  Fort  Donelson  lies.  The 
flotilla  was  delayed,  which  proved  a  very  serious  matter; 
for  the  fort  was  to  be  attacked  from  both  river  and  land 
at  the  same  time. 

Since  the  fall  of  Fort  Henry,  and  the  escape  of  its  garrison 
to  Fort  Donelson  across  the  little  strip  of  land  which  divides 
the  two  rivers,  every  means  had  been  used  by  the  Confed 
erates  to  strengthen  the  defences  of  the  latter  place.  The 
position  of  Fort  Henry  had  been  unfortunate  ;  for  it  lay  close 


178     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

to  the  water,  on  a  low,  marshy  river-bank.  Donelson,  on  the 
other  hand,  was  built  upon  elevated  ground,  being  much  bet 
ter  defended  than  Henry.  The  river  side  was  the  stronger 
at  Donelson  ;  while,  at  Henry,  the  land  side  was  far  the  more 
formidable. 

Genera]  Grant's  army  occupied  a  semicircle  around  Fort 
Donelson  on  the  evening  of  the  i2th  of  February,  thus  in 
cluding  the  little  town  of  Dover,  which,  you  will  see,  lies  very 
near  the  fort.  Ready  to  make  the  attack,  they  still  waited 
for  the  fleet  to  come.  The  next  day,  however,  as  a  begin 
ning,  the  Nationals  attacked  the  Confederate  pickets,  and 
drove  them  in.  This  led  to  a  cannonade  in  return,  which 
was  promptly  answered  by  the  Nationals,  and  was  followed 
by  a  sharp  attack  upon  the  rebel  works,  which  was  unsuc 
cessful.  That  night  a  storm  of  sleet  and  rain  came  on, 
which  soon  changed  into  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.  Those  who 
had  started  with  blankets  had  thrown  them  away,  or  left 
them  at  Fort  Henry,  cheated  by  the  promise  of  fair  weather. 

All  the  provisions  in  their  haversacks  were  gone,  and  no 
supplies  could  reach  them  until  Commodore  Foote's  fleet 
should  arrive.  The  wounded  were  calling  for  water  which 
could  not  be  given  them.  Many  a  man  in  each  army  died 
that  night  from  cold. 

At  last,  on  the  morning  of  the  i4th,  General  Lewis  Wal 
lace,  who  had  been  left  at  Fort  Henry,  arrived  with  his 
troops  ;  and,  soon  after,  the  guns  of  the  flotilla  assured  them 
that  more  help  was  near.  Wagons  were  sent  at  once  down 
to  the  river  to  get  provisions  for  the  soldiers,  and  Commo 
dore  Foote  began  the  bombardment  without  a  moment's 
loss  of  time.  The  Carondelet,  commanded  by  Commander 
Walke,  led  off  the  engagement.  For  an  hour  the  battle 
raged  furiously ;  but,  by  that  time,  the  batteries  had  so  crip 
pled  the  gunboats  that  they  were  obliged  to  withdraw. 
Commodore  Foote  was  disabled,  and  fifty-four  men  on  the 


i86z.]        "  Two  Heads  arc  Better  tJian  One."          179 

Union  side  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  two  commanders, 
Grant  and  Foote,  after  consultation,  decided  that  the  flotilla 
should  return  to  Cairo  to  make  repairs,  and  to  get  re-enforce 
ments.  Grant  was  to  wait,  in  the  mean  time,  in  such  a  posi 
tion  as  to  cut  off  all  outside  communication  with  the  rebels. 
This  was  called  putting  them  in  a  "state  of  siege,"  and  was 
not  at  all  liked  by  the  Confederates. 

So  Generals  Floyd,  Pillow,  Buckner,  and  the  other  Con 
federate  generals,  held  a  council  of  war.  Floyd,  who  was 
chief,  proposed  to  cut  their  way  through  the  Union  lines, 
and  escape  to  Nashville.  This  plan  was  adopted  and  tried. 
Surprising  General  McClernand,  upon  whom  the  first  attack 
was  made,  Pillow  seemed  sure  of  success,  and  telegraphed  to 
the  Confederate  Secretary  of  War,  that,  "  on  the  honor  of  a 
soldier,"  the  day  was  theirs.  General  Lewis  Wallace  hast 
ened  to  the  relief  of  General  John  A.  McClernand,  but  was 
in  danger  of  being  overcome  by  Buckner.  After  a  short 
struggle,  in  which  the  Thirty-first  Illinois,  commanded  by 
Colonel  John  A.  Logan,  "  stood  like  a  wall  opposed  to  the 
foe,"  fresh  troops  came  to  the  rescue. 

During  this  time  Grant  had  been  absent,  in  conference 
with  Commodore  Foote.  Both  sides  had  fought  bravely, 
showing  the  utmost  coolness ;  and  the  chances  of  victory 
were  about  equal.  When  General  Grant  returned,  he  took 
in  the  situation  at  a  glance.  He  hesitated  but  an  instant. 
Then,  putting  on  a  bold  front,  he  ordered  the  retaking  of  a 
very  important  position  which  had  been  lost  in  the  morning. 
It  was  indeed  a  happy  idea,  which  General  Smith  and  Gen 
eral  Wallace  carried  out  nobly.  Smith  ordered  his  line  to 
advance  and  lie  down,  firing  as  it  lay ;  which  manoeuvre  it 
repeated  till  it  reached  the  top  of  the  hill.  At  length  the 
enemy  was  driven  back  within  its  intrenchments,  and  Wal 
lace  stationed  his  picket-line  close  to  the  Confederate  works. 
Night  put  an  end  to  the  struggle,  and  General  Grant  was 


I  So     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  day's  work.     The  whole  Fed 
eral  army  felt  sure  of  victory  on  the  morrow. 

That  night  the  Confederate  generals  held  another  coun 
cil  ;  and,  after  a  good  deal  of  talk  which  was  neither  amiable 
nor  courageous,  they  made  up  their  minds  to  do  the  very 
thing  which  Grant  feared  that  they  would  do,  —  run  away. 
But  how  could  it  be  done?  Did  not  General  Wallace's  bri 
gade  surround  them?  In  order  to  give  you  an  idea  of  these 
Confederate  leaders,  we  will  read  an  account  of  this  famous 
council,  which  is  given  upon  the  authority  of  four  officers 
who  were  present :  — 

"  It  was  agreed  that  the  cost  of  an  attempt  to  cut  their  way  out 
would  probably  be  the  loss  of  the  lives  of  three-fourths  of  the  troops. 
'  No  commander,'  said  Buckner,  '  has  a  right  to  make  such  a  sacrifice.' 
Floyd  agreed  with  him,  and  quickly  said, '  Then,  we  will  have  to  capitu 
late  ;  but,  gentlemen,'  he  added  nervously,  '  I  cannot  surrender.  You 
know  my  position  with  the  Federals  —  it  would  not  do!  it  would 
not  do ! '  Pillow  then  said  to  Floyd,  'I  will  not  surrender  myself  nor 
the  command :  I  will  die  first.''  Then  said  Buckner  coolly,  '  I  suppose, 
gentlemen,  the  surrender  will  devolve  upon  me.'  The  terrified  Floyd 
quickly  asked,  '  General,  if  you  are  put  in  command,  will  you  allow  me 
to  take  out  my  brigade  by  the  river  ? ' 

" '  If  you  move  before  I  shall  offer  to  surrender,'  Buckner  replied. 
'  Then,  sir,  I  surrender  the  command,'  said  Floyd. 

"  Pillow,  who  was  next  in  rank,  and  to  whom  Floyd  offered  to 
transfer  the  command,  quickly  exclaimed,  '  I  will  not  accept  it :  I  will 
never  surrender.'  While  speaking  he  turned  toward  Buckner,  who 
said,  '  I  will  accept,  and  share  the  fate  of  my  command.' " 

So  Floyd  and  Pillow  slipped  across  the  river,  hidden  by 
the  darkness,  and  fled  to  Nashville,  leaving  General  Buckner, 
who  was  not  a  coward,  to  bear  the  blame  and  disgrace  of  a 
surrender.  You  will  hardly  wonder  at  his  conduct,  when 
you  remember  that  this  is  the  same  Floyd  who  was  Secre 
tary  of  War  during  the  last  few  months  before  the  South  de 
clared  for  secession.  No  doubt  he  feared  to  fall  into  the 


i86z.j         "  J\vo  Heads  arc  Better  than  One'1          181 

hands  of  the  United  States,  to  which  he  had  proved  such  a 
traitor. 

This  was  Saturday  night.  The  next  morning,  at  dawn,  the 
Union  camp  was  astir,  preparing  to  storm  the  enemy's  works, 
when  the  faint  sound  of  a  bugle  came  to  their  ears.  The 
next  moment  they  saw  in  the  dim  light  a  white  flag  flying 
from  the  fort,  and  a  messenger  coming  toward  them,  bearing 
another. 

Buckner  had  sent  to  Grant  to  ask  the  terms  upon  which 
he  must  surrender.  He  received  the  answer,  "  No  terms 
other  than  unconditional  and  immediate  surrender  can  be 
accepted.  I  propose  to  move  immediately  upon  your  works." 
It  was  quickly  over.  As  the  Union  troops  marched  into  the 
fort  that  bright  Sunday  morning,  the  music  of  the  "  Star- 
Spangled  Banner  "  sounded  in  their  ears,  and  the  Star-Span 
gled  Banner  waved  above  them.  Gunboats  from  the  river 
fired  salutes.  The  narrow  stream  was  crowded  with  steam 
ers  gay  with  banners,  and  the  cheers  of  those  on  board  were 
echoed  by  those  upon  the  banks.  The  next  day,  not  know 
ing  of  the  surrender,  two  thousand  Tennessee  troops  arrived 
to  re-enforce  the  garrison.  Of  course  they  were  captured, 
and,  with  the  thirteen  thousand  at  Donelson,  were  sent  to 
Camp  Douglas  in  Chicago,  so  named  from  Senator  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  and  situated  upon  land  which  once  had  been 
his  home.  General  Buckner  and  General  Tilghman  were 
sent  to  Fort  Warren  in  Boston  harbor. 

The  fall  of  Fort  Donelson  broke  the  enemy's  line  of  for 
tifications,  as  General  Halleck  had  intended,  and  discouraged 
the  Confederates.  But  the  battle-field  was  a  scene  of  hor 
ror.  The  Confederate  loss  was  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
killed,  and  a  thousand  wounded ;  while  the  Nationals  lost 
nearly  twice  that  number. 

Physicians  were  sent  from  all  over  the  West  to  care  for 
the  wounded.  Ladies  volunteered  as  nurses,  tenderly  watch- 


1 82     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

ing  the  sick.  Every  household  was  busy,  doing  some  good 
thing  for  the  boys  who  fought  at  Donelson.  The  sick  and 
wounded  were  removed  to  the  hospitals  at  Cairo  and  Padu- 
cah.  Many  a  touching  story  is  told  about  these  poor  fellows, 


FIELD    HOSPITAL. 


which  show  what  stuff  the  armies  were  made  of;  for  the  same 
spirit  was  shown  by  both  sides,  and  the  sufferers,  whether  in 
blue  or  in  gray,  met  with  the  same  kindness. 

Mrs.  Hoge,  who  was  among  the  first  of  these  good  women 
to  volunteer,  describes  the  hospital  at  Cairo  with  its  twelve 
hundred  beds,  clean  bed-linen,  the  room  trimmed  with  apple- 


jto.i         "  Two  Heads  arc  Better  than  One."          183 

blossoms,  till  one  can  picture  its  almost  home-like  comfort. 
A  youth  of  nineteen  attracted  her  attention  by  his  patient 
smile.  He  had  been  shot  at  Donelson  in  both  arms  and 
both  legs,  and  lay  wrapped  like  a  mummy,  utterly  helpless. 
She  asked  him  how  long  he  lay  on  the  battle-field.  "  From 
Saturday  morning  till  Sunday  evening,  and  then  I  was 
chopped  out,  for  I  was  frozen  fast." 

"Why  were  you  left  there  so  long?"  —  "Well,  you  see 
they  couldn't  stop  to  bother  with  us,  because  they  had  to 
take  the  fort." 

Mrs.  Hoge  asked  if  he  did  not  think  his  friends  cruel  to 
neglect  him.  "  Of  course  not,"  was  the  reply.  "  How  could 
they  help  it?  They  had  to  take  the  fort;  and  when  they 
did,  we  forgot  our  sufferings,  and  cheers  went  up  from  all 
over  the  battle-field,  even  from  the  dying.  Men  that  had 
only  one  arm  raised  that." 

"  Did  you  suffer  much  ?  "  —  "I  don't  like  to  think  of  that," 
he  answered ;  "  but  the  doctor  says  that  I  won't  lose  an  arm 
or  leg,  so  I'll  have  another  chance." 

Another  brave  and  noble  boy  fell  wounded  at  Donelson. 
He  was  taken  to  Paducah  hospital,  where  he  was  kindly 
cared  for.  "  Oh  !  I  am  going  to  die,  and  there  is  no  one  to 
love  me,"  he  said.  "  I  did  not  think  that  I  was  going  to  die 
till  now ;  but  it  cannot  last  long.  If  my  sisters  were  only 
here  !  but  I  have  no  friends  near  me,  and  it  is  so  hard." 

"  Frankie,"  said  a  lady  who  nursed  him,  "  I  know  that  it 
is  hard  to  be  away  from  your  relatives ;  but  you  are  not 

friendless.  I  am  your  friend,  Mrs.  S and  the  doctor  are 

your  friends,  and  we  will  all  take  care  of  you.  More  than 
that,  God  is  your  friend ;  and  He  is  nearer  to  you  now  than 
either  of  us  can  get.  Trust  Him,  my  boy  :  He  will  help  you." 
A  faint  smile  passed  over  the  sufferer's  face.  "  Oh  !  do  you 
think  that  He  will?"  he  asked.  Then  pressing  the  hand 
which  he  held,  he  said,  "  Yes :  I  do  believe  it.  I  am  not 


184      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

afraid  to  die  ;  but  I  want  somebody  to  love  me."  —  "  Frankie, 
I  love  you.  Poor  boy  !  you  shall  not  be  left  alone  :  is  not 
this  some  comfort  to  you?  "  the  lady  asked.  "  Do  you  love 
me  ?  Will  you  stay  with  me,  and  not  leave  me  ?  "  —  "I  will 
not  leave  you." 

She  then  kissed  his  pale  forehead  tenderly.  A  glad  light 
flashed  over  his  face.  "  Oh,  kiss  me  again  !  that  was  given 

like  sister.  Mrs.  S ,  won't  you  kiss  me  too?  I  don't 

think  that  it  will  be  so  hard  to  die,  if  you  will  both  love  me." 

Would  you  not  think  a  silver  half-dollar  a  small  shield  to 
wear  in  battle  ?  Yet  Reuben  Davis  of  the  Fifth  Kentucky 
found  it  large  enough  to  save  his  life.  He  had  borrowed 
that  amount  from  a  fellow-soldier  a  few  days  before.  When 
he  offered  to  pay  the  debt,  on  the  morning  of  the  battle  of 
Fort  Donelson,  his  friend  said,  "  Oh,  keep  it !  you  may  need 
it  before  night."  And  he  did.  The  coin  was  struck  by  a 
rifle-ball  in  the  very  middle,  hitting  the  Goddess  of  Liberty 
in  the  face,  instead  of  killing  the  man  over  whose  heart  it 
lay.  I  hope  that  he  thought  Who  had  protected  him  by 
such  a  little  thing. 

As  for  the  rebels,  Jefferson  Davis  was  so  disgusted  with 
Floyd  and  Pillow,  that  he  immediately  relieved  them  from 
command.  On  the  other  hand,  Generals  Grant,  McCler- 
nand,  Smith,  and  Wallace,  as  well  as  Commodore  Foote, 
congratulated  their  troops  upon  a  glorious  victory.  Here 
was  a  large  slice  out  of  the  Confederate  cake,  but  still  not 
enough.  The  news  of  the  fall  of  Donelson  had  the  effect 
of  a  bombardment  upon  Bowling  Green.  General  Mitchell 
reached  the  northern  bank  of  the  Green  River,  on  which  it 
lies,  just  in  time  to  see  the  rebels  on  the  other  shore  flying 
from  the  fort.  Not  a  single  shot  was  fired.  The  garrison 
had  either  burned,  or  removed  to  Nashville,  all  military  stores. 
But  even  the  latter  city  was  not  a  safe  place  at  present. 

On  the  Sunday  morning  after  the  battle  of  Donelson,  at 


i862.j        "  Two  Heads  are  Better  titan  One."         185 

the  very  hour  when  the  Nationals  were  entering  the  fort,  the 
Nashville  newspapers  published  this  despatch  :  — 

"  A  complete  victory !  The  enemy  retreating  !  Our  boys  follow 
ing,  and  peppering  their  rear !  " 

Of  course  the  Confederates  were  wild  with  joy.  Nobody 
believes  that  General  Pillow  meant  to  publish  such  an  un 
truth.  No  doubt  he  sent  it  when,  as  you  know,  at  one  time 
the  prospect  of  a  rebel  victory  was  very  bright ;  just  as, 


early  in  the  battle,  the  first  telegrams  from  Bull  Run  boasted 
a  Northern  victory. 

The  churches  in  Nashville  were  full  on  that  Sunday  morn 
ing.  Soon  after  service  had  begun,  a  messenger  rode  through 
the  streets,  shouting,  "  Donelson  has  fallen  !  "  "The  Yan 
kees  are  coming  !  "  In  a  moment  the  most  awful  fear  seized 
the  people.  Churches  were  emptied.  Such  horrible  stories 
of  Northern  cruelty  had  been  told,  it  was  no  wonder  that 
women  turned  pale,  and  children  trembled.  The  fate  of 
Nashville  was  sealed.  All  was  given  up  for  lost.  It  was 
true,  indeed,  that  the  Yankees  were  coming.  Every  kind 
of  wagon  was  hired  at  an  enormous  price  to  carry  the  half- 
crazy  people  away  from  the  city.  Even  the  governor  fled 


1 86      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

to  Memphis.  The  magnificent  suspension-bridge  over  the 
Cumberland  was  burned.  The  public  store-houses  were 
thrown  open  and  plundered. 

Twenty  days  after  the  first  gun  was  fired  at  Fort  Henry, 
General  Buell  hoisted  the  national  flag  upon  the  State-House 
at  Nashville.  This  made  the  third  victory  which  had  been 
gained  without  the  shedding  of  a  drop  of  blood,  —  Colum 
bus,  Nashville,  and  Bowling  Green.  Those  three  friends  had 
planned  their  work  well  upon  their  map,  had  they  not? 
Columbus  was  the  last  place  through  which  the  blue  pencil 
was  drawn. 

These  events  had  all  happened  in  the  brief  space  of 
twenty  days.  After  the  surrender  of  Donelson,  Brigadier- 
Generals  Grant,  Pope,  and  Buell  were  made  major-generals 
of  volunteers.  A  little  later,  Generals  C.  F.  Smith,  McCler- 
nancl,  and  Lewis  Wallace  received  the  same  promotion.  To 
General  Grant  was  given  the  command  of  the  Military  Dis 
trict  of  the  Tennessee,  and  to  General  William  T.  Sherman, 
the  District  of  Cairo. 


x86a.j    "  Where  there  s  a    Will,  there's  a    Way."     187 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

"WHERE  THERE'S  A  WILL,  THERE'S  A  WAY." 

EIGHTY-NINE  miles  below  Cairo,  the  Mississippi  makes 
a  sudden  curve,  and  flows  northward  again  for  ten  miles. 
Here  turning  still  more  sharply,  it  goes  south  once  more. 
At  this  last  bend,  on  the  right  bank,  the  little  town  of  New 
Madrid  stands  sentinel.  In  the  lower  end  of  the  loop  which 
the  river  makes,  midway  between  its  banks,  lies  Island  Num 
ber  Ten.  All  the  islands  are  numbered  south  of  Cairo,  and 
this  is  the  tenth.  So  New  Madrid  is  really  north  of  this  island, 
although,  reckoning  by  miles,  it  is  farther  down  the  river. 

Now  you  can  readily  see  that  the  guns  of  a  fort  planted 
at  New  Madrid  could  command  the  river  up  and  down. 
This  is  why  it  was  called  "the  key  to  the  Mississippi." 
Beside  Fort  Thompson;  six  rebel  gunboats  did  duty  by  way 
of  guarding  its  approaches.  When  the  Confederate  troops 
left  Columbus,  part  of  them  came  here ;  while  the  rest, 
under  the  command  of  General  Beauregard,  were  sent  to 
Island  Number  Ten.  Those  at  New  Madrid  were,  however, 
not  long  left  to  enjoy  their  quarters  in  peace,  for  the  Union 
general,  John  Pope,  soon  paid  them  a  visit.  The  Nationals 
went  down  the  river  in  transports  as  far  as  Commerce,  then 
marched  for  three  days  through  the  swampy,  miry  country 
to  New  Madrid.  This  march  was  one  of  great  discomfort. 
"The  men  waded  in  mud,  ate  it,  slept  in  it." 

After  General  Pope  went  into  camp,  out  of  the  reach 
of  the  rebel  guns,  he  sent  back  to  Cairo  for  more  cannon. 


1 88      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

Batteries  were  planted  on  the  bank ;  but  this  was  all  that 
could  be  done  without  assistance  from  outside.  As  soon  as 
his  siege-guns  arrived  they  were  put  in  use,  the  men  work 
ing  all  night  to  mount  them.  The  next  day  General  Pope 
cannonaded  the  rebels  so  successfully,  that,  during  the  follow- 


AT   THE   GUNS. 

ing  night,  under  cover  of  a  thunder-storm,  they  disappeared. 
It  was  plain  that  they  went  in  haste,  for  their  supper  was 
untasted,  and  even  their  poor  picket-guards  were  left  be 
hind  them.  Soldiers  are  early  risers,  you  know  :  so,  before 
daylight  the  next  morning,  Commodore  A.  H.  Foote  left 
Cairo,  with  a  fine  fleet  of  gunboats,  to  assist  in  reducing 
Island  Number  Ten.  To  "  reduce  "  a  place  is  to  take  it  by 
storm.  General  Beauregard  had  done  his  best  to  make  this 


i862.j     "  Where  there's  a    Will,  there's  a    Way"     189 

island  the  strongest  fortification  on  the  river.  The  bombard 
ment  began  on  Sunday  morning,  the  commodore's  flagship, 
Uenton,  firing  the  first  gun.  Next,  the  mortar-boats  along 
the  Kentucky  shore  put  in  their  loyal  voices.  A  mortar-boat 
is  a  sort  of  solidly-built  scow,  with  a  low,  heavy  wall  around 
it,  from  behind  which  a  mortar,  or  short,  thick,  stumpy  kind 
of  upright  cannon,  is  fired.  The  boat  has  no  machinery, 
and  is  towed  to  its  position,  and  fastened.  The  shell  used 
in  it  is  about  the  size  of  a  football,  weighing  over  two  hun 
dred  pounds. 

This  kind  of  thing  went  on  day  after  day  without  result, 
until  three  weeks  had  passed.  During  the  first  day  of  the 
engagement  Commodore  Foote  received  the  news  of  the 
death  of  his  second  son,  a  boy  of  thirteen  years.  At  first 
he  was  dumb  with  sorrow ;  but,  believing  that  his  country 
demanded  the  first  place  in  his  heart,  he  summoned  his 
will,  and  took  his  post  again. 

General  Pope  was  growing  impatient.  His  guns  at  New 
Madrid  commanded  the  river,  it  is  true ;  but  that  was  all. 
It  was  already  April,  and  yet  he  was  no  nearer  the  end  at 
which  he  aimed.  He  could  not  take  his  troops  across  the 
river  to  the  island,  on  account  of  the  enemy's  batteries,  which 
would  play  upon  them  from  the  opposite  shore.  At  that 
very  time  three  thousand  shells  had  been  thrown  on  the 
island  from  Union  guns,  and  fifty  tons  of  powder  had  been 
burned ;  yet  only  one  man  had  been  killed.  Before  you 
can  understand  what  was  finally  done,  you  will  have  to  look 
at  the  situation  very  carefully,  as  it  appears  on  the  map. 
Island  Number  Ten  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  rebel 
shores.  The  strip  of  land  to  the  north  of  the  island,  around 
which  the  river  flows  in  the  shape  of  a  horseshoe,  is  a  dense 
swamp.  So  it  was  impossible  to  cross  this  marshy  peninsula 
to  the  other  arm  of  the  river,  and  thus  attack  the  enemy  in 
the  rear. 


Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

General  Schuyler  Hamilton,  however,  suggested  a  way  out 
of  the  difficulty.  He  proposed  to  cut  a  canal  across  the 
neck  of  the  peninsula,  through  which  transports  could  go 
to  New  Madrid  without  passing  Island  Number  Ten.  This 
was  accomplished  in  nineteen  days.  The  channel  was  twelve 
miles  long,  and  fifty  feet  wide.  Three  thousand  trees  of  all 
sizes  had  to  be  cut  down,  some  of  them  three  or  four  feet 
under  water.  As  soon  as  it  was  done,  the  water  rushed 
through  the  canal  as  if  it  were  glad  to  be  of  use  in  such 
a  cause.  While  this  was  going  on,  five  small  boats  carrying 
fifty  men,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Roberts,  pushed 
out  one  night  from  the  Union  fleet  into  the  darkness.  Thun 
der  growled,  and  a  faint  gleam  in  the  sky  gave  warning  that 
a  storm  was  brewing.  But  these  sturdy  fellows  were  not 
afraid  of  wetting  their  fine  uniforms  :  so  they  rowed  noise 
lessly  along  the  river-bank,  or  drifted  silently  down  with  the 
current.  Not  an  unnecessary  word  was  spoken.  The  few 
orders  were  given  in  whispers.  Suddenly  the  first  boat 
turned  toward  the  shore.  In  an  instant  more  the  others 
had  followed,  and  soon  all  had  landed.  Still  they  were 
silent.  They  carried  fixed  bayonets,  and  kept  in  line  toward 
a  battery  on  the  Kentucky  shore,  which  had  annoyed  them 
greatly  of  late.  What  was  that  ?  A  flash,  and  then  another, 
told  them  that  they  were  found  out.  It  was  the  work  of  a 
moment  to  overcome  the  sentry ;  then  they  fell  to  spiking 
the  guns  with  a  hearty  good  will.  Rain  came  down  in  tor 
rents,  and  the  roar  of  thunder  was  terrific.  Thus,  in  a  few 
minutes,  six  cannon  had  their  noisy  throats  stopped  with  rat- 
tail  files,  and  the  jolly  boys  who  did  it  rowed  off  again  in 
safety  to  their  camp.  It  was  a  daring  thing  to  do,  and  it  was 
well  done.  Another  bold  plan  was  carried  out  a  day  or  two 
later.  Commander  Walke  took  the  little  gunboat  Caron- 
delet  past  the  Confederate  batteries  on  Island  Number  Ten 
to  New  Madrid  in  a  heavy  thunder-storm.  She  was  dis- 


i862.]     "  WJicrc  there's  a    //'///,  there's  a    Way."     193 

guised  as  a  hay-barge,  and  was  the  first  vessel  that  ran  the 
blockade  on  the  Mississippi  River.  The  sparks  from  her 
smoke-stack  caught  the  rebel  eye,  and  she  was  fired  upon. 
She  escaped  unharmed,  however,  and  her  friends  were  glad 
to  hear  the  "  three  shots  "  which  was  to  be  the  signal  of  her 
safety.  Her  commander  received  official  thanks  for  his  cour 
age.  Other  gunboats  soon  followed  this  example.  The  canal 
was  now  ready,  and  the  troops  began  crossing  the  Mississippi 
at  New  Madrid,  to  enter  it.  General  Pope  said  that  it  was 
the  most  magnificent  sight  that  he  had  ever  seen,  as  the 
transports  laden  with  the  soldiers  made  their  way  across 
the  broad  bosom  of  the  river.  Before  the  fleet  was  halfway 
around  to  Island  Number  Ten,  the  rebels  had  heard  of  its  ap 
proach,  and  were  rapidly  preparing  to  abandon  their  works. 

General  Beauregard,  with  a  large  number  of  his  best 
troops,  slipped  off  toward  Corinth.  The  next  in  rank  was 
General  McCall,  to  whom  was  given  the  command  of  the 
island.  Seeing  that  the  struggle  was  hopeless,  what  was  left 
of  the  garrison  soon  surrendered  to  Commodore  Foote. 
The  whole  number  of  prisoners  taken  by  the  Nationals  during 
the  siege  was  seven  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-three. 
Twenty  batteries,  seven  thousand  small-arms,  quantities  of 
ammunition,  beside  horses  and  mules,  were  also  captured. 
Disloyal  citizens  were  terribly  frightened  by  the  success  of 
the  Union  armies. 

Before  we  leave  this  part  of  our  story,  it  will  interest  you 
to  hear  of  a  strange  witness  of  the  last  two  battles.  A  year 
before,  an  Indian  boy  caught  a  fine  young  eagle,  which  he 
sold  for  a  bushel  of  corn.  The  owner  of  the  bird,  in  turn, 
sold  him,  for  two  dollars  and  a  half,  to  the  Eighth  Wiscon 
sin  Infantry.  The  eaglet  was  then  two  months  old.  Loyal 
women  decorated  him  with  rosettes,  and  petted  him.  He 
behaved  finely,  sitting  on  his  perch  with  all  the  dignity  of  a 
judge,  and  receiving  his  honors  as  if  he  were  used  to  it. 


194  Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.  [1862. 
» 

The  company  which  had  the  care  of  him  was  called  the 
Eagle  Company ;  and  wherever  it  went,  it  was  received  with 
cheers.  The  bird  was  named  "  Old  Abe,"  after  Abraham 
Lincoln.  All  the  newspapers  were  full  of  his  praises.  Upon 
one  occasion  in  St.  Louis,  he  got  away  from  his  regiment, 
and  was  captured  on  a  chimney-top.  Here  his  owners  were 
offered  a  farm  for  him  ;  but  money  could  not  buy  him.  He 
always  went  with  his  company  into  battle ;  and  here  —  at 
New  Madrid  and  Island  Number  Ten  —  were  his  first  vic 
tories.  Before  the  "cruel  war  was  over,"  he  had  sat  upon 
his  perch,  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  over  his  head, 
in  thirty-seven  battles.  He  was  scarred,  but  never  wounded. 
Poor  "  Old  Abe  "  !  The  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin 
gratefully  preserves  his  body  and  his  memory.  Many  a 
soldier  whose  hair  is  now  growing  gray  tells  his  boy  of  the 
battles  where  "  Old  Abe  "  clapped  his  wings  in  the  hottest 
of  the  fight  more  than  twenty  years  ago. 

We  must  now  leave  our  gallant  troops  in  undisputed  pos 
session  of  the  Mississippi  as  far  south  as  Arkansas,  to  follow 
the  fortunes  of  Generals  Curtis  and  Sigel.  Starting  from 
Springfield,  Mo.,  in  the  middle  of  February,  the  Nationals, 
commanded  by  General  Samuel  R.  Curtis,  pushed  down  the 
Mississippi  Valley  into  Arkansas.  WTell  aware  that  the  enemy 
far  outnumbered  his  own  force,  and  was  still  increasing, 
Curtis  knew  that  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  There  is  an 
old  saying  which  he  did  well  to  remember,  "  A  thing  done 
promptly  is  twice  done." 

The  Unionists  marched  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  a  day, 
in  stormy  weather,  over  roads  heavy  with  mud,  with  scanty 
food,  enduring  many  hardships,  until  they  drove  the  enemy 
out  of  Missouri.  Yet  when  the  Nationals,  eager  for  an  attack, 
were  almost  treading  upon  the  heels  of  the  rebel  general, 
Price,  there  came  a  piece  of  news  which  startled  them. 
Major-General  Earl  Van  Dorn,  an  active,  energetic  com- 


OLD    A  HE. 


i862.]     "  \VJicrc  there's  a    \Vill >  tJiere's  a    Way."     197 

mander  in  the  Confederate  army,  had  joined  General  McCul- 
loch,  himself  taking  charge  of  the  Confederate  movements. 
Besides,  General  Albert  Pike's  four  thousand  Indian  troops 
had  been  added  to  the  rebel  army,  making  its  total  strength 
twenty-five  thousand.  In  consideration  of  this  fact,  and  that 
his  own  army  was  growing  smaller  from  several  causes,  Curtis 
fell  back  to  a  safer  position  in  the  north-western  corner  of 
Arkansas.  Here  he  came  face  to  face  with  the  enemy.  The 
meeting  was  unexpected.  General  Curtis  was  writing  in  his 
tent  one  morning,  when  scouts  brought  word  that  the  rebels 
were  near.  Hastening  to  gather  his  army,  numbering  less  than 
twelve  thousand  men,  he  instantly  despatched  a  messenger 
to  General  Sigel,  then  in  camp  near  Bentonville,  four  miles 
away.  General  Curtis  was  near  Pea  Ridge.  On  their  way 
from  Boston  Mountains  to  attack  Curtis,  the  Confederate 
quartet  —  Van  Dorn,  Price,  McCulloch,  and  Pike  —  chanced 
to  encounter  General  Sigel,  with  his  valuable  train  of  supplies, 
who  was  on  his  way  to  re-enforce  General  Curtis.  Sigel  man 
aged  the  affair  with  great  skill  and  courage.  Sometimes  his 
loyal  Germans  fought  savagely  against  the  odds  of  four  to 
one,  and  sometimes  they  fell  back.  Bullets  fell  like  hail 
upon  them.  At  last  a  messenger  came  with  the  good  news 
that  re-enforcements  were  at  hand.  When  these  brave  fel 
lows  cheered  till  the  echoes  answered,  the  enemy  knew  that 
help  was  near,  and  after  one  dash  more  they  gave  up  the 
pursuit.  So  Sigel  finally  joined  Curtis  where  the  real  battle 
of  Pea  Ridge  was  afterwards  fought. 

General  Van  Dorn  well  knew  how  small  was  General 
Curtis's  army.  He  marched  quite  around  his  encampment 
to  make  an  attack  in  the  rear,  while  Curtis  had  prepared  to 
receive  the  enemy  in  front.  Thus  Curtis  not  only  lost  the 
benefit  of  his  strong  position,  but,  to  his  consternation, 
found  the  enemy  between  him  and  his  supplies.  In  speak 
ing  of  an  army,  military  people  seem  to  think  of  it  as  a  big 


198      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1862. 

bird.  They  talk  of  the  "  right  wing,"  and  "  left  wing,"  and 
the  "  centre."  The  reserve  corps  must  be  the  tail,  for  that 
always  comes  last. 

Well,  General  Curtis  promptly  turned  around,  and  fought 
from  the  rear  of  his  camp.  General  Carr  of  the  Union  army 
commanded  the  right  wing,  confronting  the  Confederates 
under  General  Price ;  while  the  left  wing,  under  Generals 
Sigel  and  Asboth,  were  face  to  face  with  Pike's  Indians.  The 
Union  centre,  under  General  Jefferson  C.  Davis,  had  all  it 
could  do  to  hold  its  own  against  McCulloch  and  Mclntosh. 
It  was  a  hard  and  bloody  struggle.  When  night  came,  the 
right  wing  had  been  badly  cut  up. 

The  two  armies  slept  on  their  arms,  a  stone's  throw  from 
each  other,  both  dreaming  of  victory  on  the  morrow.  The 
wounded  were  tenderly  cared  for ;  but  their  groaning  sounded 
mournfully  in  that  lonely  spot.  In  the  morning  the  action 
began  again.  There  was  heavy  cannonading  on  both  sides. 
The  Federals  charged  with  bayonets,  and  the  rebels  fled. 
The  battle-field  was  covered  with  the  dead  ;  and,  as  Indians 
fought  for  the  rebels,  many  a  body  was  found  scalped  and 
mangled.  General  McCulloch  and  Mclntosh  had  been 
killed,  and  General  Price  was  wounded.  The  loss  on  both 
sides  was  very  great.  It  is  true  that  the  battle  had  been  won 
by  the  Nationals,  but  little  else ;  for  the  rebels  managed  to 
carry  away  their  own  baggage  and  artillery.  Both  armies 
were  glad  to  stop  fighting,  no  doubt ;  for  they  soon  dis 
appeared  from  each  other's  sight.  Van  Dorn  withdrew  his 
troops  to  a  little  distance  for  the  purpose  of  re-organizing 
them  before  joining  General  A.  S.  Johnston  at  Corinth. 
After  a  rest  on  the  battle-field,  the  Union  army  marched 
in  a  south-easterly  direction  toward  the  Mississippi. 


i862.'  Two  Surprises.  199 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

TWO    SURPRISES. 

A  SLIGHT  misunderstanding  arose  between  General 
Halleck  and  General  Grant,  immediately  following 
the  fall  of  Donelson.  Postal  and  telegraphic  communica 
tion  was  necessarily  very  imperfect,  and  no  doubt  this 
caused  the  trouble.  However  that  may  be,  General  Hal- 
leek's  orders  were  not  obeyed  as  promptly  as  he  expected, 
because  they  were  not  received.  To  punish  General  Grant, 
Halleck  relieved  him  of  command,  putting  General  C.  F. 
Smith  in  his  place.  Like  a  good  soldier,  however,  Grant 
accepted  the  situation,  but  explained  the  reason  for  his 
failure,  and  showed  the  greatest  kindness  to  the  new  com 
mander.  General  Smith  was  very  glad,  when,  after  a  few 
days,  the  restoration  of  General  Grant  to  his  old  command 
relieved  him  of  the  responsibility  of  the  movement  then  on 
foot.  There  is  a  pretty  story  told  about  these  two  soldiers, 
which  is  worth  repeating.  General  Smith  was  much  older 
than  General  Grant,  and  had  been  the  commandant  at  the 
West  Point  Military  Academy  when  Grant  was  but  a  cadet 
there.  It  now  chanced  that  the  younger  man  was  senior  in 
rank  to  the  older.  Grant  found  the  situation  embarrassing  ; 
for  he  still  remembered  his  old  commander  "  with  awe,"  and 
found  it  almost  impossible  to  give  him  an  order,  as  was  often 
necessary.  General  Smith  noticed  this,  and  very  kindly  said, 
"  I  am  now  the  subordinate,  and  I  know  a  soldier's  duty.  I 
hope  that  you  will  feel  no  awkwardness  about  our  new  rela- 


2OO     Young  Folks'  History  of  tlic  Civil   War.     [1862. 

tions."  This  was  all  the  more  touching,  because  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  took  place  not  long  afterward, 
General  Smith  was  sixty  years  old,  while  General  Grant  was 
still  a  young  man. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  General  Beauregard  went  with 
a  large  number  of  men  from  Island  Number  Ten  to  Corinth. 
General  Bragg  with  ten  thousand  picked  troops,  and  Gen 
eral  Polk  with  his  command  from  Columbus,  were  already 
there ;  and  now  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  had  come 
from  Murfreesboro  at  the  head  0f  a  force  of  twenty  thousand 
more.  To  him  was  intrusted  the  command  of  the  rebel 
army  at  Corinth,  supposed  to  be  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand 
strong.  General  Grant  was  gathering  the  Union  forces  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  at  Savannah,  only  thirty- 
two  miles  away.  General  Buell,  who  was  at  Nashville,  had 
been  ordered  to  report  at  Savannah  as  quickly  as  possible. 
The  army  at  Henry  and  Donelson  was  already  on  its  way  up 
the  Tennessee  River.  The  first  steamer  bearing  troops 
arrived  at  Savannah  on  the  5th  of  March.  Others  followed. 
More  than  eighty  steamboats,  escorted  by  three  gunboats, 
moved  in  procession  up  the  river,  "  each  boat  with  its  pillar 
of  smoke  by  day,  and  of  fire  by  night."  General  Wallace 
thus  describes  the  fleet  as  it  steamed  away  from  Fort 
Henry :  — 

"  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  any  thing  more  beautiful  and  orderly 
than  the  movement  of  this  army  up  the  river.  The  transports  of  each 
division  were  assembled  together  in  order  of  march.  At  a  signal  they 
put  out  in  line,  loaded  to  their  utmost  capacity  with  soldiers  and 
materiel.  Cannon  fired,  regiments  cheered,  bands  played.  Looking 
up  the  river  after  the  boats  had  one  by  one  taken  their  places,  a  great, 
dense  column  of  smoke,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
marked  the  windings  of  the  stream,  and  hung  in  the  air  like  a  pall. 
It  was  indeed  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten." 

The  point  selected  for  the  encampment  of  the  Union 
army  was  Pittsburg  Landing,  a  bluff  on  the  east  bank  of  the 


i862.]  Two  Surprises.  203 

river,  about  nine  miles  above  Savannah.  The  bank  rises 
here  above  the  water's  edge  to  the  height  of  nearly  one 
hundred  feet,  and  through  it  run  several  deep  ravines. 
About  two  miles  from  the  Landing,  on  the  road  to  Corinth, 
was  a  little  barn-like  building,  known  as  Shiloh  Church,  from 
which  the  battle  has  received  its  name.  General  Lewis 
Wallace's  division  was  stationed  at  Crump's  Landing,  mid 
way  between  Pittsburg  Landing  and  Savannah,  on  the  west 
bank.  General  Grant  kept  his  own  headquarters  at  Savan 
nah,  in  order  to  direct  the  movements  of  re-enforcements 
which  should  arrive.  He  visited  Pittsburg  Landing  every 
day,  and  was  about  to  go  there  to  remain,  when  he  heard 
that  Buell  was  very  near.  General  C.  F.  Smith  was  too  ill, 
as  the  result  of  an  accident,  to  command  his  own  division, 
which  was  therefore  given  in  charge  of  General  W.  H.  L. 
Wallace.  There  was  no  especial  reason  on  the  part  of  the 
Federals  to  look  for  an  immediate  attack,  and  thus  no  prepa 
rations  had  been  made.  But  the  rebels  were  watchful  and 
busy.  Through  scouts  they  knew  all  that  was  going  on  at 
Pittsburg  Landing.  They  also  knew  that  Buell  was  making  a 
hasty  march  to  re-enforce  Grant.  They  resolved  to  make  an 
attack  before  he  should  arrive,  and  a  surprise  was  therefore 
determined  upon.  On  the  afternoon  of  Thursday,  April  3, 
the  rebel  army  was  put  in  motion,  with  five  days'  rations 
and  a  hundred  rounds  of  ammunition.  It  moved  in  three 
parallel  lines.  General  Beauregard  was  second  in  command. 
On  Saturday  night  it  bivouacked  so  near  the  Union  lines, 
that  voices  could  be  heard,  and  camp-fires  seen.  An  army 
is  said  to  "  bivouac  "  when  it  sleeps  in  the  open  air  without 
going  into  camp,  ready  for  instant  movement.  TJie  Con 
federates  lighted  no  fires  that  night,  and  necessary  lights 
were  carefully  hidden.  No  one  went  out  or  in.  A  heavy 
rain  had  soaked  the  ground ;  and  even  the  leaves  ceased  to 
crackle  under  their  feet  as  they  moved  about.  General 


204      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  who  was  chief  in  command,  called 
a  council  of  his  generals  to  discuss  the  plans  for  the  morrow. 
At  the  close  of  this  meeting,  General  Beauregard  exclaimed, 
"  Gentlemen,  we  sleep  in  the  enemy's  camp  to-morrow 
night ! "  And  not  a  man  said,  "  We  cannot  do  it." 

At  three  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning  the  Confederates 
moved  toward  Pittsburg  Landing.  Just  as  the  gray  dawn 
of  the  soft  spring  morning  was  streaked  with  the  rising  sun, 
a  crash  of  artillery,  and  the  rush  of  pickets  driven  in  by  the 
enemy,  told  the  Unionists  that  they  were  surprised.  The 
national  guns  were  not  even  loaded.  Many  of  the  troops 
had  not  enough  ammunition.  Brigadier-General  Prentiss 
had  doubled  his  guard  the  night  before,  having  been  warned 
that  an  attack  was  to  be  made.  He  had  also  pushed  his 
picket-line  forward,  and  formed  his  division  in  advance  of 
his  camp,  where  he  received  the  first  force  of  the  enemy's 
assault.  General  \V.  T.  Sherman  was  also  in  the  front,  and 
fell  into  line  at  once.  In  this  battle  many  raw  troops  were 
engaged,  who  had  never  before  smelled  powder.  General 
Prentiss  and  General  Sherman  seemed  to  have  had  their  full 
share  of  these  new  recruits.  It  was  not  surprising  that 
General  Premiss's  division  should  have  been  so  easily  over 
come  as  scarcely  to  try  to  resist  the  enemy. 

General  Sherman  suffered  from  a  similar  disadvantage  ;  but 
he  himself  remained  at  the  front,  cheering,  threatening,  and 
even  compelling  his  troops  to  fight.  General  Grant,  who  was 
at  Savannah,  heard  the  firing,  and,  hastening  at  once  to  the 
battle-field,  rode  forward  into  the  thickest  of  the  battle. 

Grant  was  everywhere  as  cool,  and  unconscious  of  danger, 
as  if  in  his  own  tent.  He  warmly  complimented  General  Sher 
man  upon  his  gallant  behavior  on  that  day.  General  Lewis 
Wallace  and  General  Nelson  had  been  ordered  to  hasten  to 
the  scene  of  battle ;  but  the  hours  passed  heavily  by,  and 
they  did  not  come.  There  were  two  generals  by  the  name 


x86a.j  Two  Surprises.  207 

of  Wallace  in  this  battle,  one  of  whom  was  already  doing 
gallant  service.  The  battle  of  Shiloh  was  his  last,  for  here 
General  W.  H.  L.  Wallace  received  a  wound,  of  which  he 
died  at  Savannah,  not  long  after. 

The  rebel  leader,  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  fell  at 
noon,  mortally  wounded  ;  but  his  death  was  not  made  known 
to  his  army,  for  fear  of  a  panic.  General  Beauregard  next 
assumed  the  command.  Two  Union  gunboats,  the  Tyler 
and  the  Lexington,  lay  at  the  landing,  ready  for  action  when 
the  opportunity  should  come.  All  this  pleasant  Sunday  the 
battle  had  raged.  More  than  ten  thousand  men  were  already 
killed  or  wounded.  Step  by  step  the  Nationals  had  been 
crowded  back  toward  the  river,  even  beyond  their  first 
position.  The  Confederates  gathered  toward  nightfall  for 
a  final  attack.  A  ravine  lay  between  the  two  armies,  and 
some  guns  had  been  placed  in  position  to  command  it.  So, 
when  the  rebels  made  an  attempt  to  cross,  a  brisk  fire  from 
these  batteries  and  the  two  gunboats  at  the  river  easily  per 
suaded  them  to  give  up  the  assault.  On  the  Union  side, 
General  Prentiss  had  been  captured  with  his  command.  A 
drizzling  rain  had  begun  to  fall,  which  served  to  render 
still  more  horrible  that  wretched  night.  Neither  army  had 
shelter. 

When  darkness  settled  over  the  earth,  the  fighting  ceased ; 
but  General  Beauregard's  prophecy  had  been  fulfilled.  The 
rebels  did  indeed  sleep  on  the  very  ground  which  was 
occupied  the  night  before  by  the  Union  camp. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  General  Buell  had  appeared  in  per 
son,  and  still  later  came  Generals  Nelson  and  Lewis  \Vallace. 
Never  was  aid  more  opportune.  That  night  the  soldiers  on 
both  sides  slept  on  their  arms. 

The  telegraph  began  to  play  an  important  part  very  early 
in  the  war.  Its  lines  were  built  along  the  track  of  the  advan 
cing  armies  at  the  rate  of  eight  miles  a  day.  Operators 


2o8     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1862. 

were  usually  very  young  men  :  many  of  them,  indeed,  were 
mere  boys.  Yet  many  a  youth  showed  courage  and  coolness 
which  would  have  earned  a  shoulder-strap  in  the  military 
service.  The  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  began  too  suddenly 
to  admit  of  elaborate  preparations  for  telegraphing.  As  the 
wires  were  too  short  to  reach  across  the  river,  a  very  singular 
plan  was  invented  to  meet  the  emergency.  The  operator 
climbed  out  to  the  farthest  point  on  a  limb  of  a  fallen  tree 
which  hung  far  over  the  water's  edge,  and  was  thus  able  to 
attach  the  wire  to  the  instrument.  Here,  astride  a  limb, 
nearly  devoured  by  mosquitoes,  he  sat  all  day,  sending 
hourly  messages  to  the  eager,  anxious  North. 

The  second  day,  General  Grant  began  the  battle.  During 
the  night  he  had  personally  directed  the  position  of  every 
commander,  and  had  given  orders  to  each.  The  fresh  troops 
were  to  occupy  the  front,  General  Lewis  Wallace's  division 
on  the  extreme  right,  and  three  divisions  of  Buell's  army  on 
the  left.  And  they  fought  well,  too,  when  the  time  came. 

The  Confederates  rightly  guessed  that  the  Nationals  had 
been  re-enforced.  The  fighting  was  hottest  near  Shiloh 
Church,  where  Beauregard  had  slept  on  Sunday  night. 
Closer  and  closer  the  two  lines  pressed.  Ground  was  lost 
and  regained.  At  last  General  Grant  selected  two  regiments, 
and,  leading  them  in  person,  charged  upon  the  enemy.  This 
was  the  turning-point.  It  was  now  three  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon.  From  this  time  the  Confederates  steadily  fell  back. 

At  four  the  tired  and  exhausted  Nationals  had  given  up 
the  pursuit.  Both  sides  had  fought  with  desperate  courage. 
It  is  true  that  some  of  the  raw  Northern  soldiers  were  fright 
ened  and  ran  away,  hiding  under  the  bluff;  but  even  they 
did  good  service  on  the  second  day.  It  is  not  being  afraid 
that  makes  one  a  coward  :  it  is  giving  up  to  one's  fear. 
"  You  are  frightened,"  said  a  young  soldier  to  a  veteran  in 
the  midst  of  a  great  battle.  "  Yes,"  was  the  answer,  "  I  am 


i862.]  Two  Surprises.  21 1 

frightened ;  and,  if  you  were  only  half  as  much  frightened 
as  I  am,  you  would  run  away." 

It  would  be  hard  to  tell  who  deserved  the  highest  praise 
for  gallant  conduct  on  the  battle-field  of  Shiloh.  The  report 
of  every  commanding  officer  makes  "honorable  mention" 
of  many  a  regiment  as  well  as  of  individual  officers.  Of 
General  Sherman  it  was  said,  "Among  the  heroes  of  that 
hard-fought  battle,  he  outshone  them  all."  Always  brave, 
his  behavior  won  golden  opinions  for  him.  When  all  was 
over,  it  was  enough  to  break  one's  heart  to  see  the  wagon- 
loads  of  wounded  Confederates  "  piled  up  like  bags  of  grain  " 
on  the  dreary  road  back  to  Corinth.  "  Three  hundred  men 
died  during  this  retreat ;  and  their  poor  bodies  were  thrown 
out  of  the  wagons  to  make  room  for  others,  who,  though 
wounded,  struggled  on  through  the  storm,  hoping  to  find 
shelter  and  cover." 

On  each  side  the  loss  was  appalling.  The  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing  in  both  armies,  were  estimated  at  twenty-four 
thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy-two. 

With  plenty  of  money  to  buy  comforts  for  the  Union  sol 
diers,  and  willing  hands  to  nurse  them,  their  sufferings  were 
terrible ;  but  think  of  the  poor  Confederates,  without  money 
or  woman's  care,  left  to  die  alone  !  Some  of  the  rebel  pris 
oners  were  sent  to  Camp  Douglas  in  Chicago.  A  lady, 
describing  their  appearance,  said,  "They  had  old  carpets, 
new  carpets,  and  rag  carpets,  old  bedquilts  and  new  bed- 
quilts,  for  blankets.  They  had  slouch-hats,  children's  hats, 
little  girls'  hats,  and  not  one  soldier's  cap  to  their  heads. 
One  man  had  two  old  hats  tied  to  his  feet  for  shoes.  They 
were  the  most  ragged,  torn,  and  weary-looking  set  I  ever 
saw.  Everybody  felt  sorry  for  them." 

In  the  battle  of  Shiloh  a  ball  struck  the  scabbard  of  General 
Grant's  sword,  and  broke  it.  He  still  preserves  the  blade  as 
a  memento  of  that  fearful  day.  An  Illinois  chaplain  heard 


212     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.     [1862. 

the  bleating  of  a  lamb  upon  the  field  the  day  after  the  battle. 
When  the  fight  began,  a  flock  of  sheep  had  been  feeding 
there,  and  all  but  this  little  lamb  had  been  killed,  or  had  run 
away.  Still  looking  for  its  mother  in  all  the  noise  and  smoke, 
this  poor  little  thing  had  escaped  unhurt.  The  chaplain  fed 
and  cared  for  it  while  he  staid,  and  left  it  at  last  lying  in 
the  sunshine,  waiting  for  the  mother  sheep. 

The  effect  of  such  a  fearful  battle,  with  so  little  good 
resulting  from  it,  was  very  damaging  to  the  reputation  of  the 
commanding  general,  especially  as  the  evacuation  of  Island 
Number  Ten  on  the  same  day,  without  bloodshed,  presented 
a  marked  contrast  to  it.  General  Grant's  success  at  Donel- 
son,  as  well  as  his  personal  bravery  and  skilful  leadership  at 
Shiloh,  went  for  nothing.  The  newspapers  clamored  for  his 
disgrace. 

General  Halleck  rebuked  him  by  his  conduct,  if  not  in 
words.  He  hastened  at  once  to  the  scene  of  conflict,  and 
himself  took  command,  assigning  General  Grant  to  no  posi 
tion,  with  the  title  of  "second  in  command,"  but  without 
any  thing  to  do.  Most  opportunely,  just  at  this  time,  Gen 
eral  Pope  arrived  from  the  Mississippi  with  twenty-five  thou 
sand  fresh  soldiers  and  some  of  Curtis's  division,  which  had 
been  engaged  at  Pea  Ridge. 

Before  the  arrival  of  General  Halleck,  however,  Grant  had 
sent  General  Sherman  to  cut  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad.  General  Beauregard  had  also  been  re-enforced 
by  a  fresh  instalment  of  soldiers  under  General  Van  Dorn, 
whom  we  last  met  at  Pea  Ridge,  thus  increasing  his  army 
to  sixty-five  thousand  "  of  the  best  drilled  and  best  fighting 
men  of  the  Confederacy." 

Early  in  May  the  inarch  toward  Corinth  began,  slowly  and 
with  great  caution.  The  distance  was  but  about  thirty  miles, 
yet  the  Nationals  did  not  reach  the  enemy's  picket-lines  at 
Corinth  till  the  28th\  Two  days  after,  with  an  army  of  one 


i862.i  Two  Surprises.  213 

hundred  thousand  men,  General  Halleck  marched  into  Cor 
inth,  to  find  it  deserted.  It  had  the  appearance  of  being 
strongly  fortified ;  while  in  reality  its  works  were  a  sham,  and 
its  cannon  were  chiefly  "  Quaker  guns."  General  Beaure- 
gard  had  managed  the  affair  very  cleverly.  Knowing  that 
the  National  army  was  near  enough  to  hear  the  sound  of 
engines  and  moving  trains,  he  ordered  his  troops  to  cheep 
loudly  whenever  an  engine  whistled  during  the  night,  "as 
though  re-enforcements  had  been  received."  This  had  the 
desired  effect.  Without  rousing  the  suspicions  of  the  Union 
ists,  instead  of  receiving  re-enforcements,  the  entire  rebel 
army  had  slipped  away,  carrying  the  sick,  the  heavy  artillery, 
and  many  of  their  stores.  Since  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  or 
Pittsburg  Landing,  General  Grant  had  been  allowed  to  take 
no  part  in  the"  operations. 

This  time  it  was  Halleck's  turn  to  be  censured.  People 
said,  that,  if  he  had  not  interfered,  General  Grant  would 
have  pushed  on  to  Corinth,  and  captured  it  a  month  sooner. 
Halleck  proceeded  to  fortify  Corinth.  At  the  same  time  he 
sent  Buell,  at  the  head  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  to  assist 
General  Mitchell  at  Chattanooga.  At  this  crisis  of  affairs 
General  Halleck  was  called  to  Washington  to  occupy  the 
position  of  general-in-chief.  General  Grant  was  placed. in 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  General 
Thomas  in  charge  at  Corinth. 


214      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

HERE  A  LITTLE,  AND  THERE  A  LITTLE. 

SOON  after  the  new  year  of  1862  came  in,  it  was  whis 
pered  that  there  was  a  great  secret  of  State,  and  every 
body  was  eager  to  help  to  keep  it.  While  General  Halleck 
was  making  his  plans,  which  we  have  followed  to  the  end,  a 
fleet  was  getting  ready  to  sail  from  Hampton  Roads.  Where 
it  was  going,  nobody  knew.  Why  it  was  going  was  also  a 
mystery.  Two  old  gossips  over  a  cup  of  tea  could  be  no 
more  anxious  to  pry  into  other  people's  business  than  were 
the  newspapers  to  know  this  secret.  And  the  oddest  part 
of  it  all  was,  that  only  a  few  of  the  commanding  officers  of 
the  fleet  even  knew  more  about  it  than  the  public ;  for  the 
ships  carried  sealed  orders.  They  set  sail  on  the  nth  of 
January.  When  it  was  known  that  they  had  really  gone  out 
into  the  open  sea,  the  country  was  wild  with  excitement  and 
curiosity.  The  terrible  storm  which  had  made  everybody  so 
anxious  about  the  safety  of  Commodore  Dupont's  fleet  in 
the  autumn  was  fresh  in  mind  ;  and,  of  course,  those  who 
were  hot  in  the  secret  shook  their  heads,  and  called  the 
enterprise  foolhardy.  And  sure  enough,  the  very  day  after 
they  sailed  there  came  a  heavy  storm,  and  scattered  the 
ships,  wrecking  four  of  them,  although  no  lives  were  lost. 

So  it  was  February  before  the  fleet  could  go  over  the  bar, 
through  Hatteras  Inlet,  into  Pamlico  Sound,  whither  it  was 
bound.  You  already  know  the  geography  of  this  region,  yet 
another  glance  will  refresh  your  minds,  and  help  you  to  see 


i86a.]  Here  a  Little,  and  there  a  Little.  215 

it  clearly.  The  command  of  this  expedition  was  intrusted 
to  Major-General  Ambrose  E.  Burnside ;  but  the  naval  part 
was  directed  by  Commodore  Louis  M.  Goldsborough ;  both 
of  whom  were  quite  equal  to  the  difficult  task  given  .them. 
Their  object  was  first  to  seize  Roanoke  Island,  and  afterward 
to  secure  possession  of  other  points  on  the  coast  of  North 
Carolina,  and  then  to  approach  Norfolk  in  the  rear.  Thanks 
to  the  newspapers,  notwithstanding  the  care  to  conceal  the 
purpose  of  this  expedition,  the  Confederates  learned  that  a 
squadron  had  sailed,  and  shrewdly  guessed  where  it  was 
bound  for.  The  Confederate  Brigadier-General  H.  A.  Wise 
was  in  command  of  Roanoke  Island  at  that  time ;  but  he 
was  ill,  and  absent  from  his  post,  which  was  in  charge  of 
Colonel  H.  M.  Shaw.  There  were  several  batteries  to  pro 
tect  the  island.  Some  vessels  had  been  sunk  in  the  main 
channel,  and  still  farther  in  was  a  "  mosquito  fleet,"  like  that 
employed  at  Port  Royal.  Very  slowly  Commodore  Golds- 
borough  sailed  his  fleet  of  seventy  vessels  toward  the  west 
side  of  the  island,  and  anchored  six  miles  below.  The  sky 
had  been  cloudy  all  day,  but  suddenly  the  sun  shone  out 
brightly.  At  the  same  time  the  flagship  fired  its  first  gun, 
and  run  up  the  signal,  "  This  day  our  country  expects  every 
man  to  do  his  duty."  Cheer  upon  cheer  greeted  this  mes 
sage,  and  the  Union  gunners  opened  fire  upon  Fort  Bartow 
with  a  right  good  will.  At  twelve  o'clock  the  battle  became 
general.  The  national  gunboats  and  the  batteries  on  shore 
had  a  lively  duet ;  but  when  the  rebel  gunboats  tried  to  put 
in  a  word  they  were  silenced  without  ceremony.  The  fort 
was  soon  disabled,  and  the  flagstaff  shot  away.  At  mid 
night,  in  a  drizzling  rain,  General  Burnside  landed  his  troops 
at  Ashby's  Harbor ;  not,  however,  without  a  little  skirmish. 
They  must  now  march  five  miles  before  they  could  attack 
the  enemy's  works.  The  way  lay  through  a  bushy  swamp, 
over  which  was  only  a  poor  cart-road.  Carefully  they  moved 


2 1 6     Young  Folks '  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

along,  until  they  came  to  the  enemy's  skirmishers.  Fighting 
as  they  went,  the  Nationals  steadily  pushed  their  way,  till 
the  fire  from  the  rebel  guns  began  to  thin  out  their  ranks. 
By  and  by  it  was  discovered  that  their  ammunition  was 
giving  out.  Nothing  but  a  charge  could  save  them  now. 
Major  Kimball  of  Hawkins's  Zouaves  (New  York)  offered  to 
lead  it.  Crying,  "Zouaves,  storm  the  battery  !  Forward  !  " 
they  were  off  in  a  twinkling.  Through  tangled  brush  they 
pressed  and  struggled,  cheered  by  their  comrades,  who 
shouted,  "  Make  way  for  the  Redcaps  !  They  are  the 
boys  ! "  Colonel  Hawkins,  who  at  the  time  was  directing 
two  other  companies,  could  not  resist  the  desire  to  join  them. 
The  effect  was  like  magic.  In  an  instant  the  whole  battalion 
was  rushing  forward  on  the  run,  yelling,  "Zou  !  Zou  !  Zou  !  " 
—  the  cry  which  makes  the  Zouave  charge  so  terrible.  With 
fixed  bayonets,  on  they  went.  The  rebels  threw  away  their 
guns,  and  fled.  That  afternoon  Commodore  Goldsborough 
flung  out  another  signal,  "  The  fort  is  ours  !  " 

It  was  in  this  fight  that  the  heroic  John  Davis  was  sur 
prised  by  seeing  a  shell  coming  in  just  where  he  was  passing 
out  powder  for  the  guns  of  one  of  the  steamers  of  the  fleet. 
He  never  thought  of  running  away,  but  deliberately  sat  down 
on  the  open  keg,  so  that  no  sparks  could  get  in.  He  was 
promoted  immediately,  as  he  deserved  to  be,  for  this  act 
of  bravery.  A  son  of  the  rebel  General  Wise  was  killed 
in  this  battle  ;  and  his  poor  father,  who  was  ill,  nearly  died 
of  grief  when  he  heard  the  news. 

General  Burnside  now  made  his  headquarters  on  Roanoke 
Island.  Commodore  Rowan,  under  orders  from  Commo 
dore  Goldsborough,  attacked  Elizabeth  City,  not  far  away, 
on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  The  struggle  was  short, 
but  severe.  Hand  to  hand,  if  one  can  say  so  of  gunboats 
almost  touching  each  other,  the  battle  was  fought  and  won. 
The  Union,  flag  was  raised  first  on  the  mainland  of  North 


'•1 


i sea.]         Here  a  Little,  and  There  a  Little.          219 

Carolina,  at  Elizabeth  City.  Here  we  will  take  leave  of 
Commodore  Goldsborough,  who  was  ordered  to  Hampton 
Roads,  Commodore  Rowan  succeeding  him  in  command. 

Early  in  March  the  Union  fleet  went  up  the  River  Neuse, 
on  which  Newberne  stands.  A  landing  was  made  at  Slocum's 
Creek,  a  few  miles  from  the  city.  After  marching  a  little 
way,  the  Federals  came  upon  a  rebel  camp.  So  frightened 
were  they  at  the  sight  of  the  Federal  troops,  that  they  fled 
in  haste,  taking  nothing  with  them,  and  leaving  a  good  break 
fast  all  ready.  The  river-bank  near  Newberne  was  well  pro 
tected  by  batteries.  Behind  these  the  enemy  could  fire, 
unhurt  and  unseen.  After  a  weary  day's  march,  the  Union 
troops  rested,  as  well  as  they  could  on  wet  ground ;  and 
early  in  the  morning  firing  began.  The  men  behaved  well. 
When  the  hope  of  silencing  the  rebel  batteries  was  nearly 
given  up,  they  rushed  with  a  wild  cheer  straight  on  the 
enemy's  guns.  Over  the  rampart  they  went,  fighting  so 
fiercely  that  the  Confederates  ran  away  in  terror.  An 
attempt  was  afterward  made  by  the  rebels  to  burn  their  own 
city,  but  the  flames  were  quenched  before  great  harm  was 
done.  The  fall  of  Newberne  was  immediately  followed  by 
the  capture  of  Fort  Pulaski,  the  key  to  the  city  of  Savannah. 
As  Big  Tybee  Island  was  already  in  Union  hands,  several 
bomb-batteries  were  built  on  the  side  of  it  next  to  Fort 
Pulaski.  When  all  was  ready,  General  David  Hunter,  who 
used  to  command  the  Department  of  Kansas,  demanded  the 
surrender  of  the  fort.  This,  of  course,  was  refused.  Then 
the  siege  began.  It  was  a  hard-fought  battle,  but  was 
won  by  the  Nationals,  upon  the  first  anniversary  of  the  fall 
of  Sumter.  Then,  after  a  few  hours  of  bombardment,  Fort 
Macon  fell,  and  with  it  the  town  of  Beaufort,  N.C.  Fort 
Clinch  was  deserted;  and  Fernandina,  Fla.,  which -depended 
upon  it  for  defence,  surrendered  without  a  shot.  Jack 
sonville  and  St.  Augustine,  with  Fort  Marion,  Fla.,  yielded 


220     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.     [1862. 

voluntarily  to  the  Unionists.  Thus  you  will  see,  that,  ex 
cepting  Charleston  in  South  Carolina,  the  "  Cradle  of  Seces 
sion,"  the  entire  Atlantic  coast  was  occupied  by  "Yankees." 

"  Doubling  the  cape  "  of  Florida,  we  find  ourselves  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  If  we  keep  near  the  shore,  still  going  west, 
we  shall  come  at  last  to  Ship  Island,  not  far  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River.  There  was  an  unfinished 
fort  here,  and  Secretary  Floyd  had  ordered  heavy  guns  to 
be  placed  in  it.  When  the  war  broke  out,  the  rebels  made 
haste  to  complete  the  fort,  and  for  a  little  while  held  it  with 
a  large  force.  But,  upon  hearing  that  a  Union  fleet  was 
coming,  they  became  alarmed,  and  evacuated  it,  burning 
the  barracks,  which,  you  know,  are  houses  inside  of  a  fort. 
It  was  immediately  occupied  by  the  Nationals,  and  named 
Fort  Massachusetts,  after  the  gunboat  to  which  it  owed  its 
capture.  In  the  autumn  of  1861  General  Butler  got  per 
mission  to  gather  an  army  in  the  New  England  States  for  a 
particular  purpose.  When  all  was  ready,  the  need  for  this 
army  had  passed.  So  he  said  to  Secretary  Stanton  one  day, 
"Why  cannot  New  Orleans  be  taken?" 

"  It  can,"  was  the  answer,  very  much  to  the  purpose. 

The  result  of  this  conversation  was,  that  General  Butler 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  the 
Gulf;  and  early  in  February  another  fleet  set  sail  from 
Hampton  Roads. 

The  wife  of  General  Butler  shared  the  dangers  and  hard 
ships  of  the  voyage.  She  was  every  inch  a  brave  woman. 
Although  the  passage  was  very  rough,  and  the  ship  was  in 
danger  of  going  to  pieces,  she  never  showed  a  sign  of  fear. 
For  thirty  days  they  were  tossed  about  on  the  Atlantic, 
before  they  came  to  Ship  Island.  There  was  not  a  single 
house  for  her  to  take  refuge  in  when  she  arrived ;  but  the 
men  very  quickly  patched  up  one  for  her  out  of  boards. 
One  day,  after  a  heavy  storm,  a  little  girl,  only  three  years 


GENERAL    H.    F.    UUTLEU. 


i862.]          Here  a  Little,  and  tJicrc  a  Little.  223 

old,  was  found  on  the  beach.  It  was  supposed  that  her 
parents  had  been  drowned  in  a  storm,  while  she  had  been 
cast  upon  the  shore  in  safety.  She  told  her  father's  name, 
which  proved  to  be  that  of  an  outspoken  secessionist  in 
New  Orleans,  and  a  physician  of  that  city. 

Mrs.  Butler  took  the  little  one,  and  cared  for  her  ten 
derly.  The  child  knew  the  name  of  her  grandfather  in  New 
Orleans,  and  General  Butler  lost  no  time  in  sending  her 
home.  To  Major  George  C.  Strong,  chief-of-staff,  was 
given  this  privilege.  With  money  to  pay  her  way  to  New 
Orleans,  he  took  her  in  a  sloop,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  to 
Biloxi,  "  a  summer  watering-place  on  the  Mississippi  main." 
Here  he  left  her.  On  his  return  "  the  sloop  grounded,  and 
an  attempt  was  made  to  capture  her  by  some  men  who  had 
been  witnesses  of  Major  Strong's  errand."  He  managed  to 
keep  them  off,  however,  until  help  came.  Of  course  Gene 
ral  Butler  was  indignant.  The  very  next  day  he  sent  a  force 
to  Biloxi,  and  took  the  town.  He  made  the  mayor  offer 
him  an  apology  for  the  disrespect  to  a  flag  of  truce. 

When  General  Butler  parted  from  President  Lincoln,  to 
undertake  this  expedition,  he  said,  "  Good-by,  Mr.  President ! 
We  shall  take  New  Orleans,  or  you  will  never  see  me  again." 

The  naval  part  of  the  movement  against  New  Orleans 
was  commanded  by  Commodore  D.  G.  Farragut.  Under 
his  direction  was  also  a  fleet  of  "  bomb-vessels  and  armed 
steamers,  enough  to  manage  them  all,"  in  charge  of  Com 
mander  D.  D.  Porter.  As  soon  as  General  Butler  arrived 
at  Ship  Island  with  his  re-enforcements,  preparations  were 
begun  for  the  attack  upon  New  Orleans.  It  was  April,  how 
ever,  before  the  fleet  was  well  over  the  bars  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  River. 

The  Confederates  had  spared  no  pains  for  the  defence 
of  that  city,  which  lies  one  hundred  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  is  defended  by  two  fine  forts,  on  opposite 


224     Voung  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

banks,  about  seventy  miles  below  New  Orleans.  Between 
these  forts  and  the  town  a  threatening  rebel  fleet  lay  at  anchor. 

Among  these  vessels  and  boats  were  two  which  were 
celebrated  in  those  days,  —  the  floating-battery  Louisiana, 
and  the  ram  Manassas.  Fire-rafts  were  also  prepared  to 
send  down,  if  need  should  be ;  and  an  army  under  General 
Mansfield  Lovell  was  encamped  around  the  city.  The  Mis 
sissippi,  so  full  of  curves,  makes  a  sharp  bend  toward  the 
west,  about  twenty-five  miles  above  its  mouth.  The  inside 
of  the  elbow  is  occupied  by  Fort  Jackson,  while  immedi 
ately  above  and  opposite,  on  the  north  shore,  St.  Philip 
frowns.  Hulks  of  vessels  had  been  sunk  in  a  line  across 
the  river.  Stout  chains  were  stretched  across,  and  fastened 
to  these,  thus  making  the  river  impassable  to  ships. 

Porter  dressed  the  masts  of  fourteen  of  his  mortar-vessels 
with  the  green  boughs  of  the  trees,  and  daubed  the  hulls 
with  mud,  so  that  they  would  not  be  noticed  as  they  were 
moved  up  the  river.  The  rest  were  moored  a  little  below, 
and  hidden  in  the  reeds  and  willows.  In  this  way,  without 
being  seen,  they  were  able  to  come  very  near  Fort  Jackson. 

It  was  past  the  middle  of  April  when  one  morning  the 
flotilla  opened  fire.  The  Rebels  sent  fire-rafts  down  the  river, 
hoping  to  set  the  National  ships  on  fire.  Sometimes  the  rafts 
were  caught  by  their  own  chains,  and  sometimes  the  Nationals 
towed  them  ashore,  and  left  them  to  burn,  doing  no  harm. 
Finally,  Commodore  Farragut  decided  to  run  the  blockade, 
which  was  now  becoming  quite  the  fashion. 

He  ordered  the  chains  across  the  river  to  be  cut  in  the 
night ;  and,  as  the  river  was  at  full  tide,  the  hulks  to  which 
they  were  fastened  drifted  down  with  the  current.  When 
every  thing  was  ready,  the  flag-ship,  and  seven  other  vessels 
and  gunboats,  started  boldly  up  the  river,  firing  into  the 
enemy's  works  as  they  went.  Of  course  the  batteries  and 
forts  all  along  the  way,  opened  fire  upon  the  fleet.  They 


i86z.j          Here  a  Little,  and  there  a  Little.  22$ 

went  straight  on  toward  the  Confederate  gunboats  which  lay 
above  the  forts,  bearing  the  scars  of  many  a  Rebel  bullet 
in  their  oaken  sides.  The  famous  ram  Manassas  came 
steaming  down  into  Farragut's  fleet ;  but  this  proved  to  be 
only  a  scare,  as  she  was  disabled,  and  soon  exploded,  and 
disappeared  under  the  water.  After  a  heavy  battle,  which 
lasted  many  days,  the  Nationals  were  once  more  the  victors. 
Fort  and  gunboat  were  hushed,  and  New  Orleans  was  taken. 
The  mayor  refused  to  hoist  the  Union  flag  in  the  city  when 
the  Federals  entered  it :  so  Farragut  sent  a  squad  of  men  for 
that  purpose.  The  Union  soldiers  were  treated  with  the  great 
est  rudeness,  and  the  Union  flag  was  dragged  in  the  dirt. 
Commodore  Farragut  then  again  .raised  the  colors,  and  sent 
word  to  the  mayor  to  "  see  that  it  was  respected."  The 
citizens  of  New  Orleans  were  unwilling  to  believe  the  news 
that  they  were  really  in  the  hands  of  the  Unionists,  which 
would  not  have  been  worse  in  their  eyes  if  their  conquerors 
had  been  cannibals. 

General  Butler  took  formal  possession  of  the  city  on  the 
first  day  of  May.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  control  New 
Orleans,  but  he  was  in  earnest.  He  taxed  the  rich  to  feed 
and  clothe  the  poor.  He  made  new  streets,  and  cleansed 
the  old  ones  as  they  had  never  been  cleansed  before.  He 
improved  public  squares  and  canals.  He  righted  the  wrongs 
of  the  oppressed,  and  perhaps  he  oppressed  the  oppressors 
also.  Two  women  so  far  forgot  that  they  were  women  as  to 
spit  in  the  face  of  some  Union  soldiers  whom  they  chanced 
to  meet.  When  it  came  to  the  ears  of  General  Butler,  he 
issued  an  order  that  any  woman  who  should  hereafter  insult 
a  soldier  of  the  United  States  should  be  treated  with  no  more 
indulgence  than  a  man  would  be  entitled  to.  He  was  both 
merciful  and  severe.  So  many  complaints  were  made  against 
him,  however,  that  at  the  end  of  the  year  he  was  recalled, 
and  General  N.  P.  Banks  was  put  in  his  place. 


226      Young-  Folks1  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

"  ON    TO    RICHMOND  !  " 

WHEN  the  new  year  came  in,  all  eyes  were  anxiously 
turned  toward  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Men's 
minds  were  so  full  of  the  idea  that  it  was  time  for  something 
to  happen  at  headquarters,  that,  without  any  especial  reason, 
important  events  were  hourly  looked  for.  The  resignation 
of  Mr.  Cameron  took  place  early  in  January,  and  Mr.  Edwin 
M.  Stanton  immediately  succeeded  him  as  Secretary  of  War. 
The  effect  of  this  change  was  to  kindle  the  hope  that  the 
new  secretary  would  hasten  affairs  to  a  crisis.  Within  and 
around  the  city  of  Washington  two  hundred  thousand  troops 
were  being  maintained  at  an  immense  cost  to  the  govern 
ment.  It  is  true  that  they  had  been  organized,  equipped, 
and  drilled  by  their  young  commander,  which  certainly  was 
a  great  thing  to  have  been  accomplished.  Neither  was  it 
their  fault  that  they  were  idle.  They  were  nearly  bursting 
their  new  uniforms  with  the  eager  desire  to  fight  somebody 
somewhere.  Camp-life,  to  which  the  soldiers  were  so  unused, 
was  producing  a  very  bad  effect  upon  them.  Until  now  all 
their  lives  had  been  busy  with  hands  or  brain,  and  the  time 
hung  heavily. 

"  But  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 
For  idle  hands  to  do ;  " 

and   during  that  long  winter  many  a  soldier  learned  habits 
which  spoiled    his  whole  after-life,  and   brought  sorrow  to 


i862.j  "  On  to  Richmond!"  227 

those  at  home.  Some  became  drunkards ;  some  played 
games  for  money  (which  is  called  "  gambling ") ;  and 
not  a  few  took  "  the  name  of  God  in  vain  "  for  the  first 
time. 

Up  to  Christmas  the  weather  had  been  soft  and  fine ;  but 
after  that  the  troops,  who  were  not  prepared  for  winter,  really 
suffered  from  storms  and  cold.  The  men  then  became  more 
impatient  than  ever ;  but  General  McClellan  was  not  ready. 
Unfortunately,  an  illness  which  confined  him  to  his  house 
for  several  weeks  gave  him  a  good  reason  for  still  further 
delay.  The  President  was  nervously  eager  for  action,  and 
tried  to  get  McClellan  to  set  a  time  for  a  general  movement. 
But  the  young  general  refused  to  confide  his  plans  to  any 
one,  saying,  that,  in  military  matters,  "  the  fewer  persons 
knowing  them,  the  better."  Still,  it  was  very  mortifying  to 
be  blockaded  by  rebel  batteries  on  the  Potomac  River,  for 
want  of  pluck  enough  to  raise  the  blockade.  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  blamed  for  the  failure  to  accomplish  any  thing,  yet  no 
effort  of  his  could  move  McClellan. 

At  length,  as  General-in-Chief  of  the  army  and  navy,  the 
President  ordered  a  general  advance  of  all  the  troops,  east 
and  west,  by  land  and  sea.  This  was  to  occur  on  or  before 
the  22d  of  February.  Can  the  reader  tell  whose  birthday 
was  to  be  celebrated  in  such  a  grand  style?  Immediately 
after  this  proclamation  was  another,  directing  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  "  after  providing  safely  for  the  defence  of 
Washington,"  to  advance,  and  seize  upon  Centreville,  a 
point  west  of  Manassas  Junction,  where  the  rebels  were 
in  force.  Indeed,  McClellan's  chief  reason  for  delay  was 
the  certainty  of  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  enemy  at 
Manassas.  He  disagreed  with  the  President  as  to  the  direc 
tion  from  which  an  attack  should  be  made,  and  the  time 
best  suited  for  it.  Before  McClellan  was  ready  to  move,  it 
was  definitely  learned  that  the  rebels  had  withdrawn  them- 


228      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

selves  and  their  stores  from  Manassas,  and  had  retreated 
farther  south,  to  the  Rappahannock  River. 

The  very  day  after  the  last  Confederate  had  gone,  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  broke  camp,  and  moved  out  toward 
Centreville.  And  it  was  a  noble  army  indeed  —  one  of  which 
General  McClellan  might  well  be  proud.  To  him  belonged 
the  credit  of  its  thorough  organization  and  its  superb  disci 
pline,  —  the  result  of  five  months  of  patient  drill.  The 
army  already  loved  its  leader  devotedly,  "  Little  Mac,"  as 
they  called  him,  and  would  have  followed  him,  without 
flinching,  to  certain  death. 

It  was  now  an  easy  matter  to  capture  the  Confederate 
works.  It  would  have  been  easy  a  long  time  before ;  for 
the  artillery  which  frowned  so  savagely  from  Manassas 
proved  upon  closer  acquaintance  to  be  only  "Quaker  guns," 
which  in  truth  were  but  logs  of  wood  rigged  up  to  resemble 
real:  cannon.  A  "  contraband  "  was  asked  by  some  good- 
natured  Union  officer,  how  long  a  range  these  Quaker  guns 
had.  "Why,  sar,"  he  replied,  "they  used  to  say  them's 
just  as  good  to  scare  as  any."  And  so  it  had  proved.  The 
alarming  number  of  troops  which  had  appeared  so  frightful 
had  never  been  over  fifty  thousand,  while  at  that  very 
moment  McClellan's  available  force  was  one  hundred  and 
forty  thousand. 

General  Stoneman's  cavalry  made  a  short  raid  in  the  rear 
of  the  retreating  rebels.  He  was  soon  compelled  to  turn 
back,  however,  owing  to  the  condition  of  the  Virginia  roads 
at  that  season.  In  obedience  to  an  order  of  the  Presicfent, 
General  McClellan  divided  "  the  active  portion  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  "  into  five  army  corps,  the  first  under  Gene 
ral  Irwin  McDowell,  the  second  under  Brigadier-General 
E.  V.  Sumner,  the  third  under  Brigadier-General  S.  P. 
Heintzelman,  the  fourth  under  Brigadier-General  E.  L. 
Keyes,  and  a  fifth  under  Major-General  N.  P.  Banks. 


i86z.|  "  On  to  Richmond!"  229 

President  Lincoln's  patience  at  last  gave  way ;  and  he 
issued  another  order,  which  relieved  General  McClellan 
from  all  command  or  responsibility,  excepting  the  direction 
of  his  own  especial  Department  of  the  Potomac.  It  is  only 
fair  to  say  here,  that,  although  he  was  humiliated  and  dis 
appointed,  General  McClellan  received  with  great  patience 
the  news  of  his  removal.  He  was  at  this  time  at  Fairfax 
Court-House.  He  therefore  called  a  council  of  war,  and  it 
was  agreed  to  march  back  to  Alexandria,  on  the  Potomac, 
and  from  that  point  to  move  by  water  to  Fortress  Monroe. 

The  President  readily  agreed  to  the  plan,  provided  that 
Washington  were  made  secure,  and  that  a  sufficient  guard 
were  left  at  Manassas  to  hold  it.  And  so,  at  last,  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  began  to  embark,  really  for  work  this  time, 
as  it  seemed ;  and,  indeed,  the  country  thought  it  was  high 
time,  for  it  was  now  the  middle  of  March. 

While  General  McClellan  is  getting  his  army  down  the 
Potomac,  through  Chesapeake  Bay  to  Fortress  Monroe,  we 
will  glance  at  the  situation  there.  The  safe  and  spacious 
harbor  called  Hampton  Roads  is  made  by  the  sudden 
widening  of  the  James  River  as  it  enters  Chesapeake  Bay. 
At  the  northern  end  of  this  almost  land-locked  harbor  is 
Old  Point  Comfort,  guarded  by  the  guns  of  Fortress  Mon 
roe.  On  the  southern  side,  immediately  opposite,  are  Nor 
folk  and  the  Gosport  Navy- Yard.  These  latter  points  were 
occupied  by  the  Confederates.  Do  you  remember  that  the 
steam-frigate  Merrimac  was  sunk  here  when  the  navy-yard 
was  abandoned  to  the  rebels  ?  Well,  she  was  afterward  raised 
and  made  over,  receiving  the  name  of  the  Virginia  with  her 
new  clothes.  But  we  will  continue  to  call  her  the  Merrimac, 
because  she  did  not  bear  her  new  name  very  long.  She 
was  cut  down  to  her  deck,  and  her  sides  were  protected 
by  iron  plates.  Her  roof  was  shingled  with  railroad  iron, 
the  pieces  overlapping  each  other,  so  that  neither  shot  nor 


230      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

shell  could  hurt  her.  Her  long,  sharp  bow  was  made  of 
oak,  and  was  iron-clad.  She  was  fitted  out  with  every  kind 
of  death-dealing  instrument.  She  even  had  the  means  for 
throwing  boiling  water  and  hot  shot.  Although  she  looked 
like  only  a  huge  floating  roof,  she  was  not  a  desirable  neigh 
bor,  to  say  the  least.  The  Nationals  well  knew  that  she  was 
at  Norfolk  Navy-Yard,  and  a  visit  from  her  was  daily  ex 
pected  at  Fortress  Monroe  with  very  little  pleasure.  Yet 
our  own  navy  had  not  been  idle ;  and  it  was  hoped,  that, 
if  she  did  come,  a  suitable  reception  would  be  given  her. 

Captain  John  Ericsson,  a  scientific  Swede,  had  received 
permission  to  build  for  the  government  a  dwarf  vessel 
called  the  Monitor,  and  she  well  deserved  her  name,  which 
means  "  one  who  warns."  In  the  water  she  appeared  to  be 
merely  a  floating  raft  or  floor.  She  was  very  sharp  at  both 
ends,  and  had  a  curious  little  round  tower  in  the  centre. 
The  rebels  called  her  a  Yankee  cheese-box.  She  seemed 
innocent  enough ;  but,  like  a  parlor-match,  she  gave  out  an 
amazing  amount  of  noise  and  fire.  Her  harmless-looking 
turret  was  made  to  revolve,  and  carried  two  heavy  guns. 
These  were  arranged  to  slide  back  and  forth  at  will ;  and 
as  the  turret  turned  round  they  could  be  pointed  in  any 
direction.  She  was  taken  in  tow  by  a  steam-tug  at  New 
York  as  soon  as  she  was  finished,  and  was  hurried  down  to 
Hampton  Roads  with  all  possible  speed.  Notwithstanding 
the  rough  weather  which  she  met,  and  the  necessary  delay 
resulting  from  it,  she  accidentally  made  the  harbor  of  Hamp 
ton  Roads  on  Saturday  night,  the  8th  of  March.  Acciden 
tally?  Providentially,  without  doubt;  that  is,  directed  by 
God's  kind  care.  These  two  enemies,  the  Merrimac  and 
the  Monitor,  soon  had  an  opportunity  to  make  each  other's 
acquaintance.  Several  men-of-war  were  stationed  at  For 
tress  Monroe,  among  which  were  the  steam-frigates  Minne 
sota,  Roanoke,  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  which  ran  down  the 


i862.]  "  On  to  Richmond!"  233 

Petrel,  ever  so  long  ago.  At  Newport  News,  on  the  north 
ern  bank  of  the  James  River,  a  few  miles  from  Fortress 
Monroe  to  the  west,  lay  the  Cumberland  and  the  Congress, 
also  belonging  to  the  Nationals.  You  will  remember  that 
Commodore  Goldsborough  commanded  the  Union  fleet  in 
Hampton  Roads  at  this  time. 

On  the  very  morning  that  General  McClellan  marched  out 
to  Manassas,  the  Merrimac  was  seen  steaming  slowly  toward 
the  Cumberland.  The  boom  of  her  guns  startled  the  garri 
son  at  Fortress  Monroe.  The  alarm-gun  was  fired.  The 
long-roll  was  beaten.  The  men  fell  into  line  of  battle.  The 
vessels  at  anchor  were  made  ready  for  action.  Besides  the 
Merrimac  there  were  five  other  Confederate  gunboats.  With 
the  force  of  her  powerful  engines  she  drove  her  bow,  sharp 
as  an  eagle's  beak,  into  the  Cumberland.  At  the  same  time 
she  opened  a  raking  fire  upon  the  frigate,  not  caring  a  pin 
for  the  broadsides  which  she  received  in  return.  In  half  an 
hour,  water  enough  came  into  the  Cumberland,  through  the 
hole  made  in  her  side,  to  cover  the  powder-magazine.  But 
the  Union  frigate  fought  nobly  till  she  began  to  roll  over, 
when  Lieutenant  George  M.  Morris,  who  was  in  command, 
ordered  the  men  to  jump  overboard,  and  save  themselves. 
The  saddest  part  of  this  story  is,  that  the  dead  and  the 
wounded  could  not  be  gotten  off,  and  they  went  down  with 
the  ship.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  floated  at  the  peak  long 
after  her  hull  had  disappeared  under  water.  Meanwhile,  the 
Congress  had  been  fighting  hard  with  the  gunboats,  holding 
out  bravely  until  the  Merrimac  turned  to  attack  her.  When 
the  ram  found  leisure,  she  soon  finished  the  battle  by  setting 
the  frigate  on  fire  with  hot  shot.  At  last  the  Congress  hauled 
down  her  colors,  and  hoisted  in  their  place  a  white  flag. 
She  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Joseph  B.  Smith,  jun. 
His  gray-haired  father,  Commodore  Smith,  was  in  Washing 
ton,  watching  the  despatches  from  Fortress  Monroe.  Suddenly 


234      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

he  said  in  a  choking  voice,  "  Joe  is  dead."  —  "  How  do  you 
know?"  asked  a  brother-officer.  "He  would  have  never 
hauled  down  his  flag  while  he  lived  :  I  know  he  is  dead." 
And  he  was  right.  His  son  had  been  killed  early  in  the 
battle ;  and,  as  resistance  was  useless,  her  flag  was  lowered 
by  the  officer  in  charge.  The  three  frigates  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  as  soon  as  the  firing  began,  made  haste  to  go  to  the 
assistance  of  the  Cumberland  and  Congress.  Unfortunately 
they  all  got  aground.  Still  the  Merrimac  kept  off  at  a  safe 
distance,  shelling  the  Minnesota  till  night  put  an  end  to  the 
strife.  But  there  lay  the  terrible  monster  all  ready  to  bom 
bard  the  fort  in  the  morning.  One  who  spent  that  anxious 
night  at  Fortress  Monroe  has  said,  that  through  its  long 
hours  no  one  dared  to  sleep.  The  only  hope  for  that  garri 
son  was  in  the  Monitor,  which  reported  herself  for  orders  at 
the  end  of  the  day's  battle,  and  was  welcomed  thankfully. 
The  next  morning,  which  was  Sunday,  the  queer-looking 
little  craft  lay  close  beside  the  Minnesota.  Down  came  the 
Merrimac  upon  the  frigate,  as  you  have  seen  a  hawk  pounce 
upon  a  hen.  The  Minnesota's  loud  good-morning  salute 
was  made  with  shotted  guns.  The  Monitor  was  not  noticed 
as  she  lay  alongside  the  Merrimac,  looking  like  a  big  barrel, 
until  she  attracted  attention  to  herself  by  a  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  pound  shot.  The  battle  was  now  fairly  opened. 
The  Merrimac  very  soon  ceased  to  attack  the  Minnesota,  for 
the  Monitor  poked  her  sharp  bill  into  the  sides  of  the  enemy, 
who  returned  the  caress  with  interest.  Finally  the  Merrimac 
tried  to  run  her  little  tormentor  down.  Five  times  the  two 
vessels  struck  each  other  with  full  force.  That  the  Merrimac 
had  received  some  damage  could  be  guessed  when  she  began 
to  work  her  way  off.  It  was  afterward  found  that  her  long 
iron  prow  was  so  strained  that  the  vessel  began  to  leak. 
The  action  had  lasted  several  hours.  The  Monitor  was  not 
allowed  to  follow  the  Merrimac,  and  so  she  went  her  own 


isfe.]  "On  to  Richmond!"  237 

way.  The  only  person  hurt  on  board  the  Monitor  was  her 
commander,  Lieutenant  John  L.  Worden,  who  was  struck  in 
the  face  by  a  splinter,  blinded,  and  made  insensible  for  days. 
The  first  question  that  he  asked  upon  recovery  was,  "  Is  the 
Minnesota  safe?  "  When  he  was  told  that  he  had  saved  her, 
and  beaten  the  Merrimac,  he  answered,  "  I  do  not  care,  then, 
what  becomes  of  me."  It  was  hard  to  tell  which  was  the 
greater  hero  in  the  eyes  of  loyal  people,  Worden  the  com 
mander,  or  Ericsson  the  inventor. 

General  McClellan  reached  Fortress  Monroe  on  the  2cl 
of  April.  Many  of  his  troops  were  already  there,  and  the 
rest  were  on  the  way.  He  also  expected  the  assistance  of 
General  Wool's  force,  which  had  been  in  garrison  there  for 
some  time.  With  this  army,  and  the  co-operation  of  the 
navy  in  Hampton  Roads,  he  confidently  looked  for  a  glorious 
victory.  The  tongue  of  land  lying  between  the  York  and 
the  James  Rivers,  we  call  the  peninsula.  Upon  the  end 
nearest  the  sea  stands  Fortress  Monroe.  At  what  might 
be  called  the  "  root  of  the  tongue,"  far  up  the  peninsula, 
is  Richmond,  the  city  to  be  captured.  It  was  General 
McClellan's  plan  to  march  a  part  of  his  army  to  Yorktown, 
which  is  on  the  south  bank  of  the  York  River.  Another 
part  was  to  keep  along  the  James  River,  beyond  Yorktown, 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Williamsburg. 

If  "serious  resistance  "  were  made  at  these  points,  he  would 
land  McDowell's  corps  on  the  north  bank  of  the  York  River, 
at  Gloucester  and  West  Point.  It  will  help  you  to  fix  this 
plan  in  your  minds  to  trace  it  carefully  upon  your  map.  A 
much  easier  way  to  reach  Richmond,  would  have  been  to  go 
by  water,  but  the  James  River  was  already  blockaded.  At 
the  outset  of  this  campaign  General  McClellan  was  disap 
pointed  by  the  refusal  of  General  Wool  to  allow  a  part 
of  the  force  under  his  command  to  join  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac. 


238      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

The  march  through  the  mud  and  rain  had.  hardly  begun, 
when  the  President  telegraphed  General  McClellan  that 
McDowell's  corps,  which  was  just  embarking  at  Alexandria, 
must  be  sent  back.  A  council  of  military  advisers  whom 
the  President  consulted,  as  well  as  the  Secretary  of  War,  gave 
an  opinion  that  the  Capital  would  not  be  safe  with  the  number 
of  men  left  for  its  defence,  —  the  whole  force  being  about 
twenty  thousand.  What  a  blow  was  thus  given  to  the  young 
commander  at  the  start,  one  may  guess.  WThat  could  be 
done  ?  McDowell's  corps  was  absolutely  necessary  to  carry 
out  the  plan  which  McClellan  had  already  begun  to  put  into 
execution,  and  he  was  deprived  of  it  without  a  word  of 
warning.  He  begged  for  a  part  of  it,  at  least  for  one 
division ;  and  the  President  did  order  General  Franklin  to 
report  to  McClellan.  After  a  march  of  twenty-three  miles, 
through  heavy  mud,  and  meeting  all  sorts  of  obstacles  on 
the  way,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  went  into  camp  before 
Yorktown,  where,  nearly  one  hundred  years  before,  General 
Washington  had  pitched  his  tent.  It  was  here  that  Lord 
Cormvallis  surrendered.  On  this  peninsula,  also,  John  Smith 
and  Pocahontas  made  each  other's  acquaintance  in  such 
romantic  fashion.  On  historic  ground  like  this,  what  could 
one  look  for  but  victory? 

While  the  country  was  clamoring  for  action,  and  wondering 
what  McClellan  was  waiting  for,  it  began  to  be  seen.  Earth 
works  sprang  up.  Trenches  were  dug.  Siege-guns  were 
mounted.  Every  possible  preparation  for  defence  and  attack 
was  made,  because  a  terrible  battle  was  expected.  Professor 
Lowe  made  daily  observations  of  the  enemy's  movements  in 
his  balloon.  One  day  General  Fitz-John  Porter  was  about 
to  make  the  ascension  with  him,  when  suddenly  the  balloon 
broke  loose,  and  began  to  rise.  General  Porter  cried  out 
in  alarm  that  he  was  getting  higher  and  higher.  "  Pull  the 
string,"  was  the  answer.  He  tugged  at  a  rope  which  was 


i862.]  4<  On  to  Richmond!"  241 

dangling.  "  No  !  pull  the  other,"  shouted  the  professor. 
General  "Porter  seized  the  right  one  at  last,  and  gradually 
began  to  come  down.  He  descended  a  long  way  from  the 
starting-point.  Was  it  not  fortunate  that  he  did  not  find 
himself  in  the  enemy's  camp? 

When  General  McClellan  was  nearly  ready  to  open  the 
bombardment  of  Yorktovvn,  he  was  astonished  by  a  cannon 
ade  from  the  enemy.  All  day  long  the  roar  shook  the  ground, 
and  at  night  it  did  not  stop.  Suddenly,  at  midnight,  it  was 
hushed ;  and,  when  morning  dawned,  the  rebels  were  gone. 
From  his  balloon  Professor  Lowe  could  see  that  they  had 
packed  up  their  baggage,  and  departed  under  cover  of  their 
own  guns.  They  took  care,  however,  to  leave  many  little 
tokens  of  brotherly-love  in  the  shape  of  torpedoes,  which 
were  planted  where,  in  walking,  the  soldiers  were  sure  to 
explode  them.  But  General  McClellan  made  some  Confed 
erate  prisoners  dig  them  up.  General  John  Magruder,  the 
rebel  commander  at  Yorktown,  in  his  official  report  to  his 
Government,  said  of  McClellan,  "  To  my  surprise,  he  per 
mitted  day  after  day  to  pass  without  an  assault."  And  after 
all  it  was  found  out  that  the  rebel  force  had  never  exceeded 
eighteen  thousand  ;  while,  the  day  before  the  evacuation,  the 
Union  army  had  numbered  one  hundred  thousand. 


242      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

A    STORY    OF    DISAPPOINTMENT. 

MAMMA,"  asked  a  bright  little  boy,  "which  is  the 
very  dangerousest, —  to  be  killed  by  a  bear,  or  by  a 
locomotive?  " 

It  might  have  been  well  if  General  McClellan  had  consid 
ered  a  choice  between  two  evils  before  allowing  a  month  to 
pass  without  making  an  attack  upon  Yorktown.  To  be  over 
whelmed  in  battle  by  the  immense  force  which  he  imagined 
inside  the  rebel  works  could  hardly  be  more  "  dangerous  " 
than  to  lose  his  men  by  disease.  Of  what  use,  now,  were 
the  earthworks  and  intrenchments  which  he  had  built  at  the 
cost  of  so  many  lives  ?  The  country  along  the  rivers  of  the 
Peninsula  was  very  malarious,  and  the  weather  was  warm  and 
damp.  Soldiers  unused  to  exposure  and  hard  work  readily 
yielded  to  these  influences.  Hundreds  who  would  have 
gladly  risked  the  chance  of  battle  sickened  and  died  with 
out  striking  a  blow  for  the  Union. 

Do  you  remember  that  the  President  pardoned  William 
Scott  early  in  the  war,  who  was  found  sleeping  at  his  post? 
The  boy  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown. 
As  he  lay  dying,  he  said,  "  Bear  witness  that  I  am  not  a 
coward,  and  I  am  not  afraid  to  die."  Then,  with  a  prayer 
for  the  President  on  his  lips,  his  spirit  passed  away. 

Well,  Yorktown  was  really  deserted.  It  was,  no  doubt, 
a  great  surprise  to  General  McClellan,  which  may  perhaps 
account  for  his  tardy  pursuit  of  the  retreating  Confederates. 


i862.]  A   Story  of  Disappointment.  243 

They  had  stolen  away  at  midnight,  and  it  was  noon  before 
Stoneman's  cavalry  began  to  follow  them.  The  rebel  army, 
having  thus  twelve  hours  the  start,  was  already  safe  in  Wil- 
liamsburg.  The  infantry  divisions  of  Generals  J.  E.  Hooker 
and  W.  F.  Smith  were  hastened  by  different  roads  to  co-op 
erate  with  Stoneman.  The  whole  army  was  soon  in  motion. 
As  second  to  McClellan  in  authority,  General  E.  V.  Sumner 
commanded  the  advancing  troops.  That  night  the  army  of 
the  Potoiiiac  bivouacked  in  front  of  Williamsburg,  in  a 
drenching  storm,  without  shelter  or  food. 

Early  in  the  morning  General  Hooker  began  hostilities, 
without  especial  orders,  but  upon  the  principle  that  he  was 
sent  to  overtake  a  retreating  army,  and  that  it  was  his  busi 
ness  to  make  the  attack.  "  By  so  doing,"  he  says  in  his 
report,  "  my  division,  if  it  did  not  capture  the  army  before 
me,  would  at  least  hold  it,  that  some  others  might."  He 
knew  that  there  were  enough  Union  troops  within  the  sound 
of  his  guns  to  support  him,  and  as  many  more  on  the  way ; 
and  he  confidently  looked  for  aid. 

Fort  Magruder  stood  at  the  junction  of  two  roads,  imme 
diately  in  Hooker's  front.  Its  approach  was  defended  by 
redoubts  and  rifle-pits.  A  redoubt  is  a  small  outwork,  and 
you  can  easily  guess  that  a  rifle-pit  is  a  trench  where  sharp 
shooters  may  see  without  being  seen.  General  Longstreet, 
who  commanded  the  Confederates,  placed  his  entire  division 
so  as  to  engage  Hooker  in  a  desperate  battle  against  great 
odds.  Nevertheless,  so  vigorous  was  Hooker's  attack,  that, 
at  nine  in  the  morning,  Fort  Magruder  was  silenced,  and 
he  had  established  communication  with  General  Sumner. 
Toward  noon  General  W.  S.  Hancock  was  despatched  with 
a  sufficient  force  to  occupy  one  of  the  redoubts  in  front  of 
Fort  Magruder,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the  rebels. 
It  was  quickly  done ;  and  another,  still  farther  forward,  was 
also  secured.  Hancock's  position  being  a  strong  one,  he 


244     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

began  skirmishing,  to  distract  the  attention  of  the  enemy  from 
Hooker's  exhausted  command,  which  until  now  had  been 
fighting  alone. 

The  manoeuvre  was  successful  so  far  as  to  drive  the  enemy 
out  of  position ;  but  Hancock  soon  found  himself  in  very 
uncomfortable  quarters.  He  began  to  fall  back  slowly,  fol 
lowed  by  the  Confederates  till  they  were  quite  near,  when 
suddenly  he  turned  upon  them,  and  gave  the  memorable 
order  which  will  go  down  to  history,  "  Now,  gentlemen,  give 
them  the  bayonet !  "  Not  a  word  of  profanity,  not  a  word 
of  boasting ;  yet  never  was  command  more  gallantly  obeyed. 
A  line  of  gleaming  steel  was  instantly  displayed,  and  with  a 
deafening  yell  the  whole  brigade  charged  upon  the  pursuers. 
Brave  as  the  rebels  were,  they  could  not  resist  the  shock. 
Panic-stricken,  they  fled,  leaving  their  dead  and  wounded 
where  they  fell. 

This  happened  upon  the  right.  Upon  the  left,  Hooker 
was  still  engaging  the  enemy,  though  less  fiercely  than  at 
first.  At  two  o'clock  General  Philip  Kearney  arrived  with 
fresh  troops,  thus  allowing  Hooker's  division  to  fall  back. 
His  ranks  were  sadly  thinned.  His  ammunition  had  given 
out,  the  last  having  been  taken  from  the  cartridge-boxes  of 
dead  comrades.  The  ground  was  strewn  with  the  dead  and 
dying.  Kearney  stimulated  his  men  to  courage  by  his  own 
example.  He  rode  at  the  head  of  his  staff  out  into  an  open 
field  where  the  rebels  were  supposed  to  be  hidden.  In 
stantly  a  hail  of  shot  told  him  that  he  was  seen.  Two  of  his 
aides  were  killed,  and  others  were  separated  from  him.  As 
he  rode  back  almost  alone,  he  cried,  "  Now,  boys,  you  see 
where  to  fire  !  "  And  they  did  see. 

They  kept  Longstreet  busy  till  General  Hancock  had  per 
formed  the  flank  movement  of  which  you  already  know,  and 
which  caused  the  Confederates  to  withdraw  inside  of  their 
own  lines. 


GENERAL    JM<>CLELLAN    IN    THE    BATTLE. 


i862.]  A  Story  of  Disappointment.  247 

When  darkness  ended  the  battle,  there  had  been  no  vic 
tory  on  either  side.  But  that  was  a  night  to  be  remembered. 
Why  it  always  rains  after  a  battle,  science  explains  satisfac 
torily  ;  but  that  does  not  make  the  storm  one  whit  more 
endurable.  The  mud  and  water  were  knee-deep,  so  that 
many  of  the  soldiers  could  not  lie  down,  however  ill  and 
tired  they  might  be.  No  fires  were  lighted,  and  again  they 
went  supperless.  There  was  no  way  to  minister  to  the  dying 
and  wounded,  whose  groans  filled  the  air.  The  loss  on  both 
sides  had  been  nearly  four  thousand,  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing.  Nothing  had  been  gained  but  experience. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  General  McClellan  arrived,  and  was 
received  with  loud  cheers.  He  had  remained  at  Yorktown 
during  the  day,  directing  the  divisions  of  Porter  and  Frank 
lin,  which  were  to  be  sent  up  the  York  River  to  West  Point. 
Franklin's  division  was  that  one  which  President  Lincoln  had 
consented  to  send  from  McDowell's  corps,  in  answer  to  Mc- 
Clellan's  appeal.  They  had  arrived  at  West  Point  two  days 
later.  In  the  night  the  rebels  left  Williamsburg,  rapidly  has 
tening  toward  Richmond.  Their  dead  and  wounded  were 
left  on  the  field.  The  next  morning  the  sun  shone,  the  birds 
sang,  and  the  flowers  blossomed,  as  if  the  noise  and  smoke 
of  battle  had  never  filled  the  air.  The  Nationals  immedi 
ately  installed  themselves  in  the  rebel  works.  General  Mc 
Clellan  and  his  staff,  with  an  escort  of  soldiers,  rode  into  the 
town  of  Williamsburg,  a  few  miles  distant.  They  found  a 
white  flag  flying  from  nearly  every  house,  for  the  town  had 
been  practically  turned  into  a  Confederate  hospital. 

No  preparations  were  made  for  the  immediate  pursuit  of 
the  rebel  army,  the  condition  of  the  roads  being  given  as  a 
reason  for  delay.  But  a  historian  of  those  times  makes  the 
sensible  suggestion,  that  "  one  would  think,  that,  where  rebels 
could  lead,  patriots  could  follow." 

McClellan  now  renewed   his  entreaty    for   more    troops. 


248      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

While  his  army  had  suffered  losses  by  battle  and  disease, 
that  of  the  Confederates  was  constantly  increasing.  In  the 
South,  a  conscription,  or  "  draft  "  as  it  was  sometimes  called, 
had  been  made.  Every  man  who  was  strong  enough  to 
carry  arms,  from  the  age  of  eighteen  to  that  of  forty-five, 
was  compelled  to  enter  the  service  of  the  Confederacy. 
Before  the  war  ended,  mere  boys  and  old  men  were  con 
scripted  to  fill  up  the  ranks,  because  there  were  no  others 
left. 

We  will  leave  McClellan  to  rest  at  Williamsburg,  and  take 
the  opportunity  to  look  about  us. 

General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  as  Confederate  commander 
of  the  Peninsula,  advised  the  retirement  of  the  Confederate 
force  from  Norfolk,  as  well  as  the  destruction,  for  the  second 
time,  of  the  Gosport  Navy-yard  at  Portsmouth.  This  order 
was  carried  out  just  after  McClellan's  army  arrived  before 
Yorktown.  When  General  Wool  heard  that  the  rebels  were 
preparing  to  go,  he  went  over  from  Fortress  Monroe,  with  a 
force  of  five  thousand  men,  to  take  possession  of  the  town. 
Commodore  Goldsborough  assisted  in  this  operation,  of 
which  President  Lincoln  was  a  spectator.  The  troops  were 
taken  in  transports  to  a  summer  watering-place  not  far  from 
Norfolk,  called  Ocean  View.  Here  they  were  landed ;  and 
a  march  of  a  few  hours  brought  the  little  army  to  Norfolk, 
where  it  was  met  by  a  flag  of  truce.  The  mayor  immedi 
ately  followed  in  person,  turning  the  city  over  to  General 
Wool.  An  order  was  issued  that  the  citizens  be  protected 
in  all  their  peaceable  rights  and  occupations. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  navy-yard  was  fired  by  the 
rebels,  and  all  the  ships  in  their  power  were  scuttled  and 
sunk.  The  fine  dry-dock,  which  escaped  so  singularly  before, 
was  this  time  partially  destroyed.  The  next  morning  after 
the  surrender  of  Norfolk,  just  as  day  began  to  streak  the  sky, 
a  vivid  flash  was  seen,  and  a  roar  like  thunder  followed  it.  It 


i86z.]  A   Story  of  Disappointment.  251 

was  the  death-groan  of  the  Merrimac.  Fearing  that  she 
would  fall  into  Yankee  hands,  the  Confederates  had  blown 
her  up.  The  gunboats  which  had  annoyed  the  Nationals 
now  fled  to  Richmond,  leaving  "all  quiet"  on  the  James  as 
well  as  on  the  Potomac.  General  Johnston  and  his  army 
were  encamped  south  of  the  Rappahannock  when  McClel- 
lan  started  for  the  Peninsula.  When  the  Confederates  left 
Manassas,  they  removed  their  batteries  from  the  Potomac, 
which  left  the  Nationals  free  to  go  by  water  to  Fortress  Mon 
roe.  About  the  middle  of  April,  General  Johnston  joined 
Magruder  at  Yorktown ;  and,  as  senior  in  rank,  he  assumed 
command  of  both  the  Confederate  armies  there. 

Before  that,  Magruder's  force  only  numbered  about  one- 
third  as  many  as  the  Union  army  outside  of  Yorktown. 

But,  in  order  to  understand  the  causes  which  influenced 
the  failure  or  success  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  we 
must  not  lose  sight  of  events  which  took  place  elsewhere, 
at  the  same  time  with  those  already  mentioned.  If  we  set 
up  a  row  of  blocks  a  little  way  apart,  and  knock  the  first 
one  down,  it  will  fall  against  the  next,  and  so  all  will 
tumble.  So  one  victory  or  defeat  will  affect  all  the  armies 
in  one  way  or  another. 

That  wild  and  beautiful  region  of  Virginia  which  lies  along 
the  Shenandoah  River,  between  two  ranges  of  mountains,  is 
called  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  In  the  autumn  of  1861 
General  Thomas  J.  Jackson,  or  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson  as  he 
is  better  known,  occupied  Winchester  in  this  valley  with  a 
considerable  Confederate  force.  Only  through  the  ceaseless 
activity  of  General  Lander,  was  he  prevented  from  crossing 
the  Potomac.  But  Jackson  contrived  to  make  raids  upon 
the  neighboring  towns,  and  got  between  the  forces  of  Lander 
and  Kelly,  thus  occupying  the  town  of  Romney.  Until  the 
advance  of  General  Banks  in  the  following  March  compelled 
him  to  retire  farther  up  the  valley,  he  had  been  a  very  dan- 


252      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

gerous  neighbor.  Early  in  March,  General  Lander  died  of 
a  wound  received  at  Ball's  Bluff,  and  was  succeeded  by  Gen 
eral  Shields,  with  headquarters  at  Strasburg. 

After  Jackson's  departure,  General  Shields  was  withdrawn 
to  join  McDowell.  Jackson  at  once  turned  to  give  chase. 
A  hotly  contested  battle  at  Kernstown  was  the  result ;  and 
Jackson  was  defeated  with  a  loss  of  five  hundred  killed  and 
wounded.  Now,  it  will  be  seen  that  a  comparatively  unimpor 
tant  event  ended  in  a  general  upsetting  of  military  schemes. 
As  soon  as  Jackson  was  repulsed  at  Winchester,  Banks's  corps 
joined  Shields  in  the  pursuit  as  far  as  Woodstock,  instead  of 
keeping  on  to  Manassas,  whither  he  was  going.  A  division 
from  General  Fremont's  corps  under  General  Milroy  was 
ordered  to  report  to  Banks  forthwith.  But  in  the  interval 
Jackson  had  also  been  largely  re-enforced  by  the  command 
of  General  Edward  Johnson.  It  soon  became  apparent  to 
Banks  that  his  position  was  very  unsafe.  Shields  had  gone 
to  join  McDowell  at  Fredericksburg,  and  Milroy  did  not 
arrive.  There  was  good  reason  for  this.  Joining  their  forces, 
Jackson  and  Johnson  succeeded  in  getting  in  a  position  to 
intercept  Milroy  on  his  way.  They  completely  routed  him 
after  a  sharp  battle,  and  he  retreated  the  following  night. 
Ewell  was  watching  Banks  while  this  was  going  on  ;  and  the 
latter,  feeling  that  "  the  better  part  of  valor  is  discretion," 
began  to  fall  back  slowly  toward  Winchester.  Jackson  and 
Ewell  followed  quickly,  capturing  and  surprising  Front  Royal 
on  the  way,  not,  however,  without  a  sturdy  resistance  on  the 
part  of  its  small  garrison.  A  singular  illustration  of  the  way 
in  which  families  were  divided  against  themselves  in  this  un 
happy  war  was  given  at  Front  Royal.  The  First  Maryland 
Regiment  of  Nationals  was  captured  by  the  First  Maryland 
Confederate  Regiment. 

At  Winchester,  Banks  took  the  defensive  against  too  great 
odds ;  for  after  five  hours  of  fighting,  which  ended  in  de- 


i862.]  A   Story  of  Disappointment.  253 

feat,  the  Nationals  began  again  to  retreat.  Nor  did  they 
stop  until  the  Potomac  had  been  crossed.  That  little  vic 
tory  of  General  Shields  at  Kernstown  indirectly  lost  to  the 
army  of  General  Banks  two  thousand  brave  men. 

Now  let  us  turn  once  more  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  note  the  effect  of  these  operations  upon  it.  General 
McDowell  was  already  at  Fredericksburg,  on  the  Rappahan- 
nock,  preparing  to  unite  his  force  of  forty-one  thousand 
men  with  McClellan,  when  the  news  of  Banks's  defeat  and 
of  Jackson's  approach  reached  Washington.  The  greatest 
excitement  and  alarm  filled  the  North.  The  governor  of 
almost  every  loyal  State  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for 
volunteers.  Nearly  half  a  million  of  men,  in  less  than 
twenty-four  hours,  offered  their  services  in  defence  of  Wash 
ington.  Alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the  capital,  the  Presi 
dent  instantly  telegraphed  McDowell  to  "  lay  aside  for  the 
present  the  movement  on  Richmond,"  and  to  put  twenty 
thousand  men  immediately  into  the  Shenandoah  Valley  for 
the  re-enforcement  of  Fremont.  In  vain  the  two  generals, 
McClellan  and  McDowell,  assured  Mr.  Lincoln  that  his  fears 
were  groundless,  that  the  rebels  only  wished  to  "  scare " 
him  so  as  to  prevent  aid  from  being  sent  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  The  panic  had  taken  complete  possession  of  the 
authorities  at  Washington,  and  they  remained  firm  in  their 
decision.  On  the  24th  of  May,  McDowell  again  turned 
back.  Then  another  race  began,  in  which,  as  usual,  Jackson 
came  out  ahead.  He  slipped  between  Fremont,  and  Shields's 
division  of  McDowell's  corps ;  and  in  the  battles  of  Cross 
Keys  and  Fort  Republic  he  whipped  the  Nationals,  and 
took  many  prisoners.  General  Turner  Ashby,  the  daring 
and  efficient  commander  of  Jackson's  cavalry,  was  killed 
at  Port  Republic.  His  loss  was  deeply  felt,  for  he  was  one 
of  the  best  generals  in  the  Confederate  army. 

All  this  time  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  kept  moving  in 


254     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1862. 

the  general  direction  of  Richmond,  going  so  slowly,  and 
resting  so  often,  that  there  hardly  seemed  a  pretence  of  pur 
suit.  On  the  1 6th  of  May  the  Union  gunboats,  headed  by 
the  Monitor,  went  up  the  James  River.  At  Fort  Darling, 
however,  within  a  few  miles  of  Richmond,  they  were  checked  ; 


A  DOUBLE-TURRET    IRONCLAD. 

and  after  a  sharp  fight  they  returned  to  City  Point.  The 
appearance  of  the  gunboats  so  near  the  rebel  capital,  in 
connection  with  McClellan's  advance,  caused  a  great  ex 
citement  there. 

The  main  body  of  General  Johnston's  army  was  already 
under  cover  of  the  batteries  of  Richmond  before  McClellan 
left  Williamsburg.  It  will  be  remembered  that  troops  under 
Franklin  and  Porter  had  gone  up  the  York  River  to  West 


i86z.j  A   Story  of  Disappointment.  255 

Point.  General  Stoneman  had  been  sent  by  land  to  co 
operate  with  them,  and  as  early  as  the  i6th  had  established 
communication  with  them  at  the  White  House,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Pamunkey  River.  This  does  not  mean,  of  course, 
the  White  House  at  Washington,  in  which  the  President  lives. 
It  is  a  house  bearing  that  name,  within  seven  miles  of  Rich 
mond,  and  built  upon  the  spot  where  another  white  house 
stood,  in  which  General  Washington  was  married.  This  old 
house  was  removed  many  years  ago ;  but  the  place  has  been 
sacredly  remembered,  as  all  places  should  be  which  are  in 
any  way  connected  with  our  first  great  President. 

On  the  2ist  of  May  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  en 
camped  between  the  Pamunkey  and  Chickahominy  Rivers, 
with  its  face  toward  Richmond.  The  news  of  General  Mc 
Dowell's  recall  had  not  yet  been  received,  although  it  was 
known  that  he  had  left  Fredericksburg.  McClellan  also  knew 
that  Anderson's  brigade  of  rebels  was  hovering  about  that 
neighborhood,  while  at  Hanover  Court-House  another  bri 
gade  was  lying  in  wait  for  McDowell. 

Now  a  long  and  thorough  survey  of  the  map  must  be 
taken  in  order  to  understand  the  operations  of  the  next  few 
days.  Do  you  see  that  Fredericksburg  is  to  the  north  of 
Richmond,  and  a  little  to  the  west?  Hanover  Court-House 
is  therefore  in  the  direct  line  of  march  to  Richmond.  Thus 
an  enemy  could  threaten  McClellan,  and  at  the  same  time 
cut  off  McDowell.  To  avoid  this  danger,  and  supposing 
McDowell  to  be  on  the  way,  General  Fitz-John  Porter  was 
despatched  to  Hanover  Court-House  with  a  sufficient  force 
"  to  clear  the  enemy  from  the  upper  peninsula,"  and  to  de 
stroy  bridges  on  the  rivers  in  the  rear  of  McClellan's  army. 
He  got  on  famously  at  first,  but  at  the  junction  of  two  roads 
the  rear  of  his  column  was  attacked  by  the  Confederates. 
When  General  Porter  heard  of  it,  he  faced  about,  and  re 
pulsed  his  assailants  in  a  very  brilliant  engagement.  The 


256     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

Confederates  fell  rapidly  back,  leaving  a  howitzer,  a  caisson, 
some  small  arms,  two  railway-trains,  and  two  hundred  dead 
on  the  field.  In  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  their  loss 
was  over  one  thousand ;  while  the  Federal  loss  did  not  ex 
ceed  three  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Having  cut  the  bridges, 
and  routed  the  enemy,  Porter  returned  to  the  main  army 
again.  But,  as  we  already  know,  this  work  was  quite  un 
necessary,  since  McDowell  was  never  to  need  protection  in 
his  march  to  join  McClellan. 


<862.j  "Faintt  yet  Pursuing"  257 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

"FAINT,    YET    PURSUING." 

A  LTHOUGH  Richmond  was  so  near,  there  was  a 
JL~\.  "giant"  in  the  way.  To  cross  the  marshy  Chicka- 
hominy  was  by  no  means  the  lightest  peril  to  be  encountered. 
What  with  an  insufficient  number  of  bridges  and  the  swampy 
banks  on  each  side,  the  task  was  a  difficult  one.  Keyes's 
corps  began  crossing  on  the  20th,  at  Bottom's  Bridge  ;  a  few 
days  later  it  was  encamped  at  Seven  Pines,  about  seven  miles 
from  Richmond.  Heintzelman's  corps  had  also  crossed. 
Hooker,  who  belonged  to  it,  took  up  his  position  at  White 
Oak  Swamp,  and  Kearney  near  Savage's  Station.  So  the 
Chickahominy  divided  the  army!  On  the  other  side  were 
the  corps  of  Franklin,  Sumner,  and  Porter.  General  Mc- 
Clellan  made  his  headquarters  near  them  at  Gaines's  Mill. 
Now  we  shall  have  this  army  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thou 
sand,  officers  and  men,  well  under  our  eyes. 

You  already  know  that  General  J.  E.  Johnston  was  at  this 
time  commander-in-chief  of  the  Confederate  army.  His 
headquarters  were  at  Richmond,  of  course.  Johnston  was 
too  good  a  general  to  be  very  long  in  perceiving  the  advan 
tage  of  striking  a  blow  while  the  Union  army  was  thus 
divided.  He  had  gathered  a  sufficient  force  in  these  two 
months  to  be  ready  for  any  work  which  he  might  have  to  do. 
By  the  evacuation  of  Norfolk,  General  Huger's  command 
was  added  to  the  garrison  of  Richmond ;  so  that  what  the 
Confederates  lost  in  position  they  gained  in  numbers. 


258      Young  Folks*  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

On  the  last  day  of  May  the  Confederates  fell  upon  Casey's 
division  of  Keyes's  corps.  Heintzelman  hastened  to  Casey's 
support ;  but  the  ground  was  so  swampy  and  broken  that  he 
was  delayed,  till,  after  a  fierce  engagement,  the  Federals  had 
fallen  back,  when  Kearney  appeared,  and  another  sharp 
contest  followed.  More  rebels  poured  in,  and  drove  the 
Unionists  back  as  far  as  Fair  Oaks.  A  messenger,  in  the 
mean  while,  had  been  sent  to  General  McClellan  for  aid. 

General  Simmer's  corps  had  just  finished  building  two 
bridges  across  the  river,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  getting  re- 
enforcements  over  them.  When  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole 
Union  army  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Chickahominy  would 
be  cut  to  pieces,  General  Sedgwick's  division  came  upon  the 
field.  With  a  gallant  charge,  it  drove  the  enemy  back  in 
disorder,  and  saved  the  day. 

A  story  is  told  by  General  O.  O.  Howard,  of  a  touching 
scene  which  occurred  at  the  close  of  the  first  day's  battle, 
in  which  he  was  himself  an  actor.  "The  field  was  not 
silent ;  for  far  and  near  we  heard  the  cries  of  the  wounded 
who  were  not  yet  removed  by  our  ambulance-corps.  I  then 
heard  a  voice  which  one  could  never  forget.  It  was  not  far 
from  us.  It  said,  '  O  sir,  kind  sir,  come  to  me  ! '  The  ear 
nest  entreaty  affected  me  strangely,  and  I  hastened  to  him. 
'  O  sir,  I'm  so  glad  you've  come  ! '  — '  What  command  do 
you  belong  to,  my  man?'  I  asked.  'I  am  a  private  of  the 
-  Mississippi  Regiment,'  he  replied,  giving  me  the  num 
ber,  which  I  do  not  recall.  '  I  am  badly  wounded,  as  you 
see.  "  Our  boys  have  gone  on,  and  left  me.'  From  glimpses, 
I  saw  that  he  was  dressed  in  the  long-worn,  dingy  gray. 
Across  his  body,  not  quite  covering  his  tall  form,  was  a  new 
double  blanket.  'O  sir,  I  was  so  cold!  I  am  cold  still. 
Some  kind  gentleman  from  Massachusetts  spread  his  blanket 
over  me.  Yet  I  don't  know  why  ;  but  I  am  still  cold.'  " 

"  Poor  fellow  !    His  wound  was  fatal,  and  it  was  the  chill  of 


x86a.J 


"Faint,  yet  Pursuing.' 


259 


death  creeping  over  him.     Those  tender  words,  uttered  in 
gentle  tones,  '  Some  kind  gen 
tleman     from     Massachusetts 
spread  his  blanket  over  me,' 
will  never  pass  from  my  mem 
ory.     A  Union  soldier  had  given  his 
blanket  to  a  wounded  enemy,  and  he 
had  won   the  love  of  a  human   soul. 
'  If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him ;  if 
he  thirst,  give  him  drink.'  " 

That    afternoon     General     Sumner 
wished  to    communicate  by  telegraph 
with  Generals  McClellan  and  Smith  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river.     Nichols, 
the  operator,   who  was  with  Sumner, 
was  but  a  beardless  youth  of  seven 
teen.     He  had  only  three  feet  of  wire, 
and  one  would  not  think  that  much 
could  be  done  with  that.    Not  wishin; 
to  cut  off  communication  with  either 
general     by    separating    the 
wire,  he  must  devise  another 
way.     With  the  help  of  the 
commissary,  he  piled  cracker- 
boxes  to  the  top  of  a  pole, 
hung   a   lantern  there,   con 
nected   his  wire,  and  estab 
lished  his  "office." 
He  kept  it  open  •*  * 


-?^> 


till  long  after  dark;    and,  although  he  was  a  pretty  good 


260     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 
target  for  sharpshooters  with  his  twinkling  light,  he  showed 


• :, 


Casey  the  day  before. 


no  sign  of  fear.  The  foundation  of 
his  lofty  house  of  business  was  pret 
ty  well  riddled  with  bullets,  but  he 
kept  his  post  till  he  was  ordered  to 
leave  it. 

The  next  day  the  battle  was  vig 
orously  renewed.  It  was  a  sweet 
Sunday  morning,  the  first  day  of 
June.  After  some  hard  fighting,  the 
Confederates  were  repulsed,  even 
routed,  being  driven  back  a  mile  be 
yond  Fair  Oaks.  In  that  last  rally 
of  the  Federals,  General  O.  O.  How 
ard  received  a  wound  in  his  right 
arm.  He  did  not  stop  for  that ;  but 
a  few  minutes  later,  while  leading  his 
command  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
enemy,  another  shot  broke  the  same 
arm  at  the  elbow,  and  at  the  same 
time  his  horse  was  disabled.  At 
length  he  was  compelled  by  faint- 
ness  to  retire,  and  late  in  the  after 
noon  his  arm  was  amputated.  But 
the  Nationals  held  their  own  ground 
again,  which  had  been  occupied  by 
The  next  morning  General  Howard 


iSfa.i  "Faint,  yet  Pursuing."  261 

was  waiting  for  other  wounded,  who  with  himself  were  to 
be  removed  in  a  freight-car,  when  General  Philip  Kearney 
rode  up.  Dismounting,  he  extended  his  only  arm,  for  his 
left  sleeve  was  empty,  and  grasped  General  Howard's  left 
hand.  They  looked  into  each  other's  eyes ;  and  Howard 
said  cheerily,  "  There  is  one  thing  we  can  do,  General :  we 
can  buy  our  gloves  together!"  Kearney  replied,  "Sure 
enough  !  "  and  with  a  smile  the  two  friends  parted,  never  to 
meet  again  in  life. 

The  Union  arms  had  been  victorious,  but  what  a  price  to 
pay  for  success  !  Ten  thousand  friends  and  foes  lay  heaped 
together,  dead  or  wounded.  After  the  battle  a  surgeon 
found  a  drummer-boy  whom  he  supposed  to  be  dead.  Feel 
ing  his  pulse,  the  doctor  exclaimed,  "  Why,  the  child  is 
alive  !"  —  "Yes,  sir,  I  am  alive,"  the  boy  said,  and  opened 
his  eyes.  "  Will  you  send  me  to  my  mother?  "  —  "  Where  is 
your  mother,  my  child?"  —  "  In  Sumterville,  N.C.,"  he  re 
plied.  "  Oh,  yes,  my  son  !  "  answered  the  surgeon  kindly  : 
"  we  will  certainly  send  you  to  your  mother."  —  "  Well,  well, 
that  is  kind,"  he  said  :  "  I  will  go  to  sleep  now."  And  the 
homesick  child  shut  his  eyes  in  the  sleep  of  death.  Poor 
little  Confederate  !  He  had  no  more  bad  dreams  of  war 
and  blood. 

General  J.  E.  Johnston  had  been  wounded  in  the  engage 
ment  the  day  before,  and  now  General  R.  E.  Lee  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  Confederate  army. 

This  battle  has  been  given  t\vo  names.  The  Confeder 
ates  call  it  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines,  because  it  was  fought 
near  a  tavern  beside  which  stood  seven  lonely  pines.  The 
Unionists  have  given  it  the  name  of  Fair  Oaks,  by  which  we 
will  call  it.  The  morning  after  the  battle  General  Hooker 
with  a  considerable  force  advanced  within  four  miles  of 
Richmond,  meeting  no  enemy.  No  doubt  there  were  good 
reasons  why  no  advantage  was  taken  of  a  situation  which 


262      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

seemed  promising  to  the  success  of  the  Unionists.  We 
know  that  one  cause  was  the  perpetual  rain  of  that  season, 
which  had  swollen  the  streams,  so  that  bridges  were  carried 
away.  The  ground  had  become  so  soft,  that  artillery-wagons 
sank  deeply  of  their  own  weight. 

During  the  brief  quiet  which  followed  the  battle  of  Fair 
Oaks,  General  Lee  sent  a  famous  cavalry-officer  named  Gen 
eral  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  with  a  body  of  men,  to  reconnoitre. 
This  man,  usually  called  "Jeb"  Stuart,  a  nickname  spelled 
by  his  initials,  was  as  bold  as  a  freebooter.  One  might 
imagine  him  wearing  the  "Lincoln  green."  He  actually 
rode  around  the  entire  Army  of  the  Potomac,  burning 
wagons,  and  capturing  horses  and  prisoners.  He  started 
from  the  south,  and  returned  from  the  north.  His  ride  led 
to  an  immediate  attack  upon  Porter,  who  still  occupied  the 
extreme  right  of  the  Union  army,  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Chickahominy. 

McClellan  spent  nearly  all  of  the  month  of  June  in  build 
ing  bridges  and  intrenchments,  while  the  whole  army  breathed 
the  poisoned  air  of  swamps  and  marshes.  Neither  were  the 
Confederates  idle.  They  fortified  Richmond  so  well,  that 
even  a  small  force  could  have  held  it  against  an  assault, 
and  strengthened  their  army  by  every  possible  means. 

Stonewall  Jackson  was  still  flying  about  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  a  terror  to  Unionists  everywhere  ;  but  he  was  always 
prepared,  upon  short  notice,  to  turn  and  attack  McClellan, 
thus  co-operating  with  Lee.  At  length  that  time  came. 

Once  more  re-enforcements  had  been  promised  to  Mc 
Clellan  ;  and  he  was  waiting  for  these,  to  make  a  final  advance 
upon  Richmond,  when  news  was  received  that  Jackson  was 
already  at  Hanover  Court-House.  The  next  day  McClel- 
lan's  pickets  were  driven  in  from  the  rear.  There  could  be 
no  choice  of  evils  now.  He  must  fight,  whether  he  was 
ready  or  not.  General  McCall  was  posted  at  Mechanicsville, 


i862.i  "  Faint,  yet  Pursuing"  263 

where,  on  the  26th  of  June,  began  the  famous  "  seven-days' 
battles."  General  McCall's  position  at  Mechanicsville  was 
'•  of  great  natural  and  artificial  strength."  At  a  certain  point 
in  the  battle,  a  turn  in  the  road  gave  the  Unionists  the 
enemy's  flank.  McCall  used  this  advantage  with  telling 
effect.  At  sunset  the  enemy  had  been  repulsed  with  a 
heavy  loss,  while  the  Nationals  had  suffered  little.  The 
battle  was  a  Union  victory.  Still  the  Union  soldiers  slept 
on  their  arms  that  night,  expecting  another  attack  in  the 
morning.  Instead,  however,  McCall  was  ordered  to  fall 
back  to  Gaines's  Mill,  to  rejoin  General  Porter.  The 
weather  had  suddenly  become  hot  and  dry.  Clouds  of 
dust,  like  smoke,  marked  the  movements  of  each  army. 
About  two  in  the  afternoon  the  enemy's  approach  was  dis 
covered.  The  division  of  A.  P.  Hill  made  the  attack,  being 
re-enforced  after  two  hours  by  Longstreet.  Tired  and  ex 
hausted  as  McCall's  troops  were,  they  fought  manfully. 
Sometimes  the  balance  seemed  to  be  upon  one  side,  and 
sometimes  upon  the  other.  To  many  of  the  Confederates 
this  was  their  first  battle,  but  the  raw  recruits  were  as  brave 
as  veterans.  With  a  yell,  they  rushed  to  the  very  muzzles 
of  Porter's  guns.  It  did  not  seem  to  matter  to  them  that 
their  ranks  were  cut  down  like  swaths  of  grass.  More  fol 
lowed  eagerly,  till  Porter  began  to  call  anxiously  for  help. 
Re-enforcements  came  at  last ;  but  Confederate  reserves  also 
arrived  at  the  same  time,  making  a  desperate  assault  upon 
the  weakest  place  in  the  Union  lines.  The  Federals  gave 
way,  and  fled  in  disorder,  spreading  the  panic  from  wing  to 
centre.  Two  fresh  brigades  coming  up  at  that  moment,  how 
ever,  restored  order.  The  Federals  rallied  once  more,  and 
slowly  fell  back  across  the  Chickahominy.  They  had  lost  the 
battle  of  Gaines's  Mill  and  six  thousand  brave  men  besides, 
who  deserved  a  better  fate.  With  a  single  corps  of  thirty- 
five  thousand,  General  McClellan  had  opposed  seventy 


264     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1862. 

thousand  men,  said  to  be  the  best  fighting  material  in  the 
Confederate  army.  The  rebel  general,  Magruder,  expressed 
the  opinion,  that,  had  McClellan  concentrated  his  whole 
army  in  this  battle,  "the  city  (Richmond)  might  have  been 
his  reward."  Next  day  the  Union  army  was  on  its  way  to 
the  James.  Before  it,  was  sent  a  supply-train  of  five  thou 
sand  wagons,  followed  by  a  herd  of  twenty-five  hundred 
head  of  cattle. 

McClellan  had  determined  to  change  his  "  base  of  opera 
tions  "  from  the  York  River  to  the  James ;  that  is,  to  ap 
proach  Richmond  from  the  south  side  of  the  Chickahominy, 
and  receive  his  supplies  by  the  way  of  the  James  River.  He 
therefore  gave  up  the  idea  of  capturing  Richmond  at  present, 
and  began,  at  Gaines's  Mill,  to  fall  back  to  the  James  River. 
Through  a  swamp,  under  a  scorching  sun,  many  a  worn-out 
soldier  dropped  in  the  ranks,  and  was  left  to  die  by  the  road 
side  in  that  unhappy  march.  The  Federal  retreat  was  un 
known  to  the  Confederates  until  the  next  morning,  when 
Magruder  started  in  pursuit,  overtaking  Sumner,  toward 
evening,  near  Savage's  Station.  He  was  repulsed,  however, 
after  a  furious  battle,  lasting  between  four  and  five  hours,  — 
as  long  as  there  was  light  enough  for  brothers  to  see  to  kill 
each  other.  Peace  always  comes  with  the  darkness.  Under 
its  shadow,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  again  retreated,  leav 
ing  twenty-five  hundred  poor  fellows  in  hospital  at  Savage's 
Station.  The  chaplain,  Dr.  Marks,  remained  with  them  to 
share  their  fate,  rather  than  leave  them  without  care  and 
nursing.  Those  who  were  not  fortunate  enough  to  die,  en 
dured  the  horrors  of  rebel  prisons.  All  night  the  troops 
struggled  on  through  White  Oak  Swamp,  weary,  footsore, 
faint,  to  find  themselves  next  morning  at  a  clearing  called 
Glendale.  The  rear  of  that  miserable  column  suffered  un 
told  horrors.  Monday,  the  3Oth,  in  the  afternoon,  the  attack 
began  with  the  fury  of  a  tempest.  Here  the  Confederates 


1862.]  "Faint,  yet  Pursuing"  26$ 

meant  to  crush  the  Nationals  utterly.  They  were  all  there, 
-Lee,  Jackson,  Longstreet,  and  the  two  Hills.  The  battle 
soon  became  a  hand-to-hand  encounter  with  bayonets. 
General  McCall  was  taken  prisoner,  and  General  George  G. 
Meade  was  wounded.  About  four  in  the  afternoon  the 
Confederates  gathered  their  strength,  and  swept  in  upon  the 
tired  and  hungry  Nationals,  as  an  avalanche  sweeps  down 
the  sides  of  the  Alps.  But,  when  they  seemed  about  to  be 
overwhelmed,  a  happy  thought  came  to  General  Butterfield. 
He  ordered  all  the  regimental  bands  to  the  front,  and  "  in 
one  great  burst  of  sound  "  they  played  the  Star-spangled 
Banner. 

Cheer  after  cheer  rose  wildly,  and  the  whole  army  caught 
the  inspiration.  They  fought  desperately  till  long  after  night 
fall,  and  the  rebels  were  finally  driven  back.  But  think  of 
the  death-roll  !  "  Here  it  was,  that,  among  the  Confederates, 
a  son  of  Major  Peyton,  but  fifteen  years  old,  called  to  his 
father  for  help.  A  ball  had  shattered  both  his  legs.  '  When 
we  have  beaten  the  enemy,  I  will  help  you,'  answered  Peyton  : 
'  I  have  other  sons  to  lead  to  glory.  Forward  !  '  But  the 
column  had  advanced  only  a  few  paces,  when  the  major 
himself  fell  to  the  earth,  a  corpse.  History  will  ask  in  vain 
for  braver  soldiers  than  those  who  here  fought  and  fell." 
This  was  the  fifth  day.  Another  night  of  marching  brought 
the  Nationals  to  Malvern  Hill  —  all  that  remained,  at  least, 
of  the  grand  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Words  cannot  describe 
that  day,  the  ist  of  July.  No  doubt  the  troops  were  dis 
couraged,  and  that  always  makes  things  worse.  We  know 
that  they  were  tired  and  ill.  Still,  all  day  skirmishes  were 
kept  up.  But  at  six  in  the  evening  the  battle  really  opened 
in  earnest.  The  Nationals  were  posted  on  a  hill,  and  hence 
had  the  advantage  of  position.  Every  charge  the  enemy 
made,  was  certain  death.  The  poor  boys  in  gray  stained 
with  their  blood  the  hillside  against  which  they  rushed  so 


266     Young  Folks'  Plistory  of  the  Civil   War.     11862. 

hopelessly,  obedient  to  orders.  The  James  River  had  now 
been  reached,  and  the  Union  gunboats  were  taking  part  in 
the  battle.  At  nine  o'clock  the  rebels  gave  up  the  struggle, 
and  retreated  into  the  shelter  of  the  woods  and  ravines. 
Their  loss  that  day  was  said  to  be  not  less  than  five  thou 
sand,  being  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  total  Confederate 
loss  in  the  "  seven  days."  The  battle  of  Malvern  Hills  was 
a  victory  and  yet  a  retreat.  The  Union  army  quietly  re 
treated  that  night  to  Harrison's  Landing,  on  the  bank  of  the 
James  River. 

It  was  in  a  sad  plight  indeed ;  but  the  men  well  deserved 
the  praise  which  General  McClellan  had  bestowed  upon 
them  when  he  said,  "The  soldiers  of  this  army  love  their 
government,  and  will  fight  well  in  its  support.  You  may 
rely  upon  them."  Their  last  battle  occurred  on  the  ist  of 
July,  and  by  the  Nation's  birthday  they  were  pretty  well 
settled  in  their  quarters  at  Harrison's  Landing.  A  few  days 
later  President  Lincoln  paid  a  visit  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  Such  a  kindly,  cheery  visitor  must  have  been 
very  welcome  at  such  a  time.  Because  he  was  so  gentle  and 
so  fatherly,  the  soldiers  called  him  "Uncle  Abe." 

"  Passing  through  the  grounds  of  the  Executive  Mansion 
one  afternoon,  just  after  the  'seven-days'  battles,'  ending  at 
Malvern  Hills,  the  President  was  observed  looking  at  an 
object  in  a  bush.  A  friend  approaching  said,  '  What  is  the 
matter,  Mr.  Lincoln?'  He  replied,  'There  is  a  young  bird 
which  has  got  out  of  its  nest,  and  I  am  trying  to  get  it 
back.'  It  appeared  that  a  young  bird  had  tried  its  wings 
too  soon ;  and  whilst  its  mother  was  fluttering,  affrighted  at 
the  danger  to  the  fledgling,  the  Commander-in-Chief  and 
President  of  the  Republic  could  feel  pity,  and  stop  to  help 
it  back  to  its  nest."  Such  was  the  man  who  was  at  the 
head  of  the  nation  during  the  cruel  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

In  less  than  a  year  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration,  a 


i862.i  "Faint,  yet  Pursuing"  267 

bitter  sorrow  came  to  him  in  the  death  of  his  second  son, 
Willie,  but  eleven  years  old.  Perhaps  this  made  him  the 
more  tender  to  those  bereaved  of  their  sons  by  the  fate  of 
war.  One  day  there  came  to  the  White  House  an  old  woman 
to  ask  Mr.  Lincoln  to  pardon  her  boy  for  desertion.  "Where 
is  your  petition?"  asked  the  President.  "I  have  none," 
she  answered.  "  I  thought  I  would  come  and  ask  for  myself, 
because  I'm  too  poor  to  pay  a  lawyer  to  write  it  out."  Mr. 
Lincoln  sent  for  a  list  of  the  prisoners  confined  for  that 
offence.  Counting  them,  he  exclaimed,  "  Twenty-seven  ! 
Well,  these  poor  fellows  have  suffered  long  enough,  I  think. 
And  now,  while  I  have  the  papers  in  my  hand,  I'll  turn  out 
the  flock."  So  he  wrote,  "  Let  the  within  prisoners  be  dis 
charged,"  and  signed  his  name.  The  poor  woman  wiped 
away  her  tears,  and  said,  "  Good-by,  Mr.  President :  may  we 
meet  in  heaven  !  "  He  took  her  hand  in  both  his,  and  replied, 
"  With  all  that  I  have  to  cross  me  here,  I  am  afraid  I  shall 
never  get  there ;  but  your  wish  to  meet  me  there  has  fully 
repaid  me  for  all  I  have  done  for  you." 

Before  Mr.  Lincoln's  election,  in  1860,  a  little  girt  was 
shown  his  picture.  As  she  looked  at  it,  she  said  to  her 
mother  that  she  thought  he  would  look  much  better  if  he 
wore  whiskers,  adding,  I  believe  I'll  write  and  tell  him  so." 
The  mother  did  not  object,  so  the  child  carried  out  her  pur 
pose.  In  her  letter  she  said  that  she  thought  he  would  make 
a  good  president,  but  she  wished  he  would  wear  his  whiskers, 
which  would  improve  his  appearance.  Perhaps  she  felt 
sorry  to  wound  his  pride  :  so  she  told  him  she  thought  the 
"rail  fence  "  around  his  lithograph,  which  she  had  seen,  was 
"real  pretty."  After  giving  him  a  history  of  herself  and 
family,  she  closed  by  asking  him  to  let  his  little  girl  answer 
the  letter,  if  he  had  not  time,  and  addressed  the  envelope  to 
"  Hon.  Abraham  Lincoln,  Esq." 

It  was  not  long  before  the  following  answer  came  :  — 


268       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War,      [1862. 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL,  Oct.  19,  1860. 

MY  DEAR  LITTLE  Miss,  —  Your  very  agreeable  letter  of  the  1 5th 
is  received.  I  regret  the  necessity  of  saying  I  have  no  daughter.  I 
have  three  sons,  —  one  seventeen,  one  nine,  and  one  seven  years  of 
age.  They  with  their  mother  constitute  my  whole  family.  As  to  the 
whiskers,  having  never  worn  any,  do  you  not  think  people  would  call 
it  a  piece  of  silly  affectation  if  I  should  begin  it  now  ? 
Your  very  sincere  well  wisher 

A  LINCOLN. 


The  next  summer  four  soldiers  were  strolling  along  the 
Potomac  River  road,  when  they  met  a  carriage  driving  to 
ward  Washington.  On  the  box  sat  two  colored  men  in 
livery.  One  of  the  soldiers  said,  "They  think  they  are 
some,  don't  they?  Let's  have  some  fun  with  them."  As 
the  others  agreed,  they  all  kept  the  road.  Soon  the  carriage 
stopped,  and  a  voice  called  out,  "What  is  wanted?"  The 
boys  turned,  and  saw  a  white-haired  man  at  the  carriage- 
window.  "  We  want  to  take  a  ride  with  you  to  see  '  Old 
Abe.'"  —  "  Did  you  never  see  him?  "  asked  the  man,  getting 
out.  Three  others  followed  him  ;  and,  before  the  astonished 
soldiers  could  answer,  he  continued  pleasantly,  "  Soldiers,  I 
introduce  to  you  the  President  of  the  United  States ;  also 
the  Hon.  E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War ;  the  Hon.  Wil 
liam  H.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State ;  and  myself,  Gideon 
Welles."  The  President  stepped  forward,  shook  hands  with 
the  men,  and  laughed  heartily  at  the  joke ;  although  one  of 
the  soldiers  afterwards  said  that  their  situation  had  "passed  the 
laughing-point." 

While  the  good  President  never  masqueraded  in  the  cos 
tume  of  another,  he  never  took  pains  to  proclaim  himself. 
Like  many  another  great  man,  he  enjoyed  plain  people 
who  spoke  their  minds  to  him  as  frankly  as  to  each  other. 

Mr.    Lincoln   was    far   from    pleased    with    General    Me- 


i862.]  "  Faint,  yet  Pursuing''  269 

Clellan's  part  in  the  operations  on  the  Peninsula.  Still  he 
did  not  storm  about  it,  blaming  everybody  but  himself. 
That  would  not  bring  the  dead  to  life,  nor  cure  the  sick, 
nor  unlock  prison-doors.  He  did,  however,  ask  McClellan 
for  an  account  of  the  noble  army  intrusted  to  his  care,  whose 
official  report  now  gave,  "  not  over  fifty  thousand  men  with 
their  colors."  Where  were  the  remaining  thousands?  It 
was  a  sad  showing. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  keenly  disappointed  to 
give  up  the  march  to  Richmond,  after  its  hard- won  victory 
at  Malvern  Hills.  Many  an  officer  gave  the  order  to  retreat, 
with  cheeks  burning  with  shame.  Only  one  day's  march  ! 
How  near  it  looks  on  the  map  !  General  Philip  Kearney 
said,  in  talking  over  the  matter  with  some  brother-officers, 
"  I  Philip  Kearney,  an  old  soldier,  enter  my  solemn  protest 
against  this  order  to  retreat.  We  ought,  instead,  to  follow 
up  the  enemy,  and  take  Richmond." 

On  the  26th  of  June,  the  day  of  the  battle  at  Mechanics- 
ville,  John  Pope,  Major-General  of  Volunteers,  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  Army  of  Virginia.  The  forces  com 
prising  it  were  three  corps,  under  Generals  Fremont,  Banks, 
and  McDowell.  General  Fremont,  however,  was  unwilling 
to  serve  under  Pope,  who  was  his  junior  in  rank :  therefore 
General  Franz  Sigel  was  given  that  corps  which  had  been 
intended  for  Fremont.  While  each  of  these  generals  was 
responsible  for  his  own  immediate  command,  the  direction 
of  them  all  was  given  to  General  Pope.  You  will  hardly 
need  an  introduction  to  this  new  commander,  for  through 
his  perseverance  you  have  already  been  admitted  to  Island 
Number  Ten.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Military  Academy 
at  WTest  Point,  had  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  had 
been  brevetted  for  his  services  there.  The  history  of  Gen 
eral  Fremont  is  familiar  to  every  one.  General  Banks  had 
been  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  but  had  neither  military 


270     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

training  nor  experience  when  the  war  began.  He  owed  his 
appointment  to  the  command  of  a  corps,  simply  to  his  patri 
otic  enthusiasm,  and  his  high  character  as  a  citizen.  Sigel 
was  a  German.  In  his  youth  he  had  some  military  educa 
tion.  With  his  great  ability  for  carrying  out  military  plans, 
he  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  West  at  the  very  out 
break  of  the  Rebellion.  McDowell's  history  was  a  repetition 
of  that  of  Pope,  —  West  Point,  the  Mexican  war,  promotion 
for  gallantry.  He  commanded  at  Bull  Run,  and  failed ;  he 
was,  nevertheless,  a  good  general. 

Beside  .those  already  named,  the  forces  in  and  around 
Washington  were  added  to  Pope's  army,  making  it  about 
fifty  thousand  strong.  With  it  he  was  expected  to  protect 
the  capital,  threaten  Richmond,  and  "  guard  the  valley  en 
trance  to  Maryland,  in  the  rear  of  Washington."  The  Presi 
dent,  in  the  mean  time,  had  ascertained  that  McClellan  had 
under-estimated  his  army,  and  that  he  had  still  eighty-six 
thousand  men  present,  and  fit  for  duty. 

Under  the  present  circumstances  it  was  most  unfortunate 
that  a  cordial  understanding  did  not  exist  between  the 
commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  the  new  com 
mander  of  the  Army  of  Virginia.  When  McClellan  proposed 
change  of  base  from  the  York  to  the  James  River,  Pope 
advised  him  not  to  do  it.  McClellan  did  not  regard  his 
suggestion.  Then  Pope  tried  to  bring  about  a  more  friendly 
feeling  by  offers  to  assist  him  on  the  James.  But  McClellan 
did  not  like  to  be  interfered  with.  So  there  was  an  end  to 
any  attempt  to  "  make  up." 

It  now  became  apparent  that  there  must  be  a  head  to  the 
military  affairs  of  the  nation  ;  and,  as  we  have  already  hinted, 
General  Halleck  was  called  from  the  West,  to  take  the  posi 
tion  of  General-in-Chief. 


1862.]  A  New  Commander.  271 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A     NEW     COMMANDER. 

A  MERICANS  are  naturally  hopeful.  Therefore,  when 
/~\.  General  Halleck  came  to  be  installed  Commander-in- 
Chief,  it  was  expected  that  a  new  broom  would  sweep  clean. 
He  had  gained  glorious  triumphs  in  the  West,  why  not  in  the 
East? 

A  growing  distrust  of  McClellan  had  so  far  taken  posses 
sion  of  the  President  and  his  advisers,  that,  at  this  very  criti 
cal  time,  McClellan's  opinion  was  scarcely  listened  to.  In 
the  beginning  we  have  seen  that  McClellan  refused  to  act 
according  to  the  President's  directions.  Now,  even  with  all 
his  charity  and  forbearance,  the  President  could  not  excuse 
the  failure  which  seemed  to  him  the  result  of  McClellan's 
own  wilfulness.  It  was  not  surprising  that  such  was  the 
case :  still,  as  long  as  he  continued  to  command  an  army, 
it  was  most  unfortunate.  So,  when  McClellan  urged  the 
President  to  leave  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  Harrison's 
Landing,  as  the  best  point  for  threatening  or  attacking  Rich 
mond,  those  in  authority  at  Washington  turned  a  deaf  ear. 

Had  his  advice  been  taken,  McClellan  would  doubtless 
have  been  displaced  by  some  more  energetic  general.  But 
rather  than  formally  to  deprive  him  of  his  command,  or  else 
because  his  army  was  so  devotedly  fond  of  him,  —  it  so 
seemed,  —  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  ordered  off  the 
Peninsula.  That  McClellan  might  receive  necessary  aid  in 
transferring  his  troops,  he  was  given  the  command  of  the 


272     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

war-fleet  in  the  James  River  and  Chesapeake  Bay.  General 
Btirnside  had  just  returned  from  his  successful  expedition  to 
North  Carolina.  He  was  immediately  ordered  to  Aquia 
Creek,  on  the  Potomac,  whither  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
was  also  bound.  The  President  now  called  for  three  hun 
dred  thousand  more  troops,  which  must  be  raised  by  draft 
if  not  otherwise  obtained. 

General  Lee's  spies  kept  him  well  informed  of  the  move 
ments  of  the  Nationals,  and  nothing  could  have  suited  him 
better  than  the  present  position  of  affairs.  Upon  hearing 
of  Pope's  advance  toward  Gordonsville,  where  the  Con 
federates  were  encamped,  Lee  sent  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson 
forward  to  meet  him.  Gordonsville,  a  town  of  some  impor 
tance  on  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad,  lies  on  the 
south  bank  .of  the  Rapid  Anna  River,  or,  as  it  is  usually 
called,  the  Rapidan.  Pope  was  coming  from  the  North, 
and  arrived  on  the  Qth  of  August,  at  Cedar  Run,  near  Cul- 
peper  Court- House,  to  find  the  enemy  already  there. 
Sigel's  corps  was  delayed  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  Pope 
did  not  wish  to  begin  a  battle  until  he  had  all  his  pieces  on 
the  board,  as  we  say  in  a  game  of  chess.  Still  the  first  move 
would  be  an  advantage  ;  and  as  he  feared  that  Jackson  would 
attack,  if  he  did  not  at  least  threaten,  he  ordered  Banks's 
corps  to  the  front.  In  case  the  enemy  should  advance, 
Banks  was  to  attack  him  first.  Banks  obeyed,  to  the  letter. 
Jackson  did  approach,  and  Banks  made  the  attack  with 
his  whole  strength,  which  appeared  to  be  a  surprise  to  the 
enemy.  At  first  the  Nationals  were  very  fortunate,  and  drove 
the  rebels  back  in  disorder ;  but  by  and  by  Early  rallied 
them  again,  and  turned  the  tide  of  battle.  The  Nationals 
fell  back,  charged,  pursued,  then  fell  back  again,  and  it 
became  clear  that  the  day  was  lost.  Some  one  describes  this 
battle  as  one  where  the  "  tenacious  obstinacy  of  the  Ameri 
can  character  was  well  shown."  After  terrible  bloodshed, 


rx 


v 


MILITARY    BALLOONING. 


i862.]  A  New  Commander.  275 

the  Nationals  were  defeated  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain ; 
but  no  advantage  had  been  gained  on  either  side.  Jackson 
retreated  to  the  Rapidan ;  and  Pope  hastened  after  him, 
re-enforced  by  two  divisions  from  Burnside,  who  had  come 
across  from  Aquia  Creek.  All  this  happened  before  the  first 
regiment  of  McClellan's  army  had  left  Harrison's  Landing, 
so  promptly  had  General  Pope  obeyed  his  instructions  to 
turn  the  enemy's  attention  from  McClellan.  Lee  now  deter 
mined  to  let  McClellan  alone,  and  throw  his  whole  force 
upon  Pope.  To  do  this,  he  ordered  Longstreet's  corps 
and  Stuart's  cavalry  to  unite  with  Jackson  at  the  Rapidan. 
General  Lee  now  took  command  of  the  Confederate  army 
in  person.  Halleck  directed  Pope  to  wait  for  re-enforce 
ments  on  the  Rappahannock  River,  which  would  be  the  line 
of  McClellan's  advance  from  Aquia  Creek.  A  glance  at 
the  map  will  be  necessary  for  a  clear  understanding  of  the 
movements  which  followed.  All  this  time  Lee  was  trying 
to  cross  the  Rappahannock ;  but  the  steep  banks  on  the 
northern  side,  where  the  Unionists  were,  gave  them  great 
advantage.  At  length  Lee  marched  a  long  distance  up  the 
river,  constantly  threatened  by  Sigel,  who  kept  up  with  him 
on  the  other  bank,  until  they  reached  Sulphur  Springs.  Here, 
in  spite  of  every  thing,  the  Confederates  began  to  cross. 

While  this  was  going  on,  "Jeb"  Stuart's  calvary  dashed 
into  General  Pope's  camp  at  Catlett's  Station.  He  carried 
off  papers,  despatch-book,  private  baggage,  and  prisoners. 
Lee  had  been  unable  to  surprise  Pope  as  he  intended :  so 
he  decided  upon  another  course.  Stuart's  daring  raid  into 
Pope's  camp  now  proved  of  the  greatest  use.  From  that 
general's  despatch-book,  Lee  found  out  his  plans,  and 
determined  to  upset  them.  His  trusty  general,  "Stonewall" 
Jackson,  was  sent  as  secretly  as  possible  to  throw  his  com 
mand  between  Washington  and  the  National  army.  To  do 
this,  Jackson  began  his  march  up  the  Rappahannock  on  the 


276     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

morning  of  the  25th  of  August.  The  Confederates  passed 
through  the  valley  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  Bull  Run 
Mountains,  coming  out  through  Thoroughfare  Gap.  Very 
cautiously  they  made  their  way,  fearing  that  the  pass  would 
be  defended.  As  the  long  column  moved  past  General 
Jackson,  he  watched  it  proudly,  saying,  "  Don't  shoot, 
boys  !  the  Yankees  will  hear  us."  And  then  he  added, 
"Who  could  fail  to  win  victory  with  such  men?"  The 
danger  of  being  found  out  was  over,  and  Pope  was  com 
pletely  flanked.  Jackson's  march  with  an  army  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  men  had  been  made  in  two  days  and  one 
night.  Stuart's  cavalry  easily  captured  Manassas  Junction 
with  the  only  large  quantity  of  supplies  for  Pope's  army 
between  it  and  Washington.  The  moment  the  news  reached 
him,  Pope  ordered  a  general  advance  upon  Manassas ;  but 
Jackson  had  gone  to  Centreville.  This  movement  deceived 
Pope,  who,  supposing  that  he  wished  to  get  away  through 
Thoroughfare  Gap,  ordered  McDowell,  who  was  then  at 
Gainesville,  to  go  in  immediate  pursuit.  In  reality,  the  wary 
Jackson  was  falling  back  to  the  old  battle-field  of  Bull  Run. 
Not  only  did  he  choose  to  fight  on  familiar  ground  ;  but  there 
Longstreet  and  Lee  could  easily  join  him,  as  they  should 
come  through  Thoroughfare  Gap. 

McDowell's  advance  was  attacked  late  in  the  afternoon 
of  Thursday,  the  28th.  Although  the  battle  was  stubbornly 
fought  and  the  loss  was  severe,  General  Jackson  gained 
but  little  advantage.  In  this  engagement,  General  Ewell  was 
seriously  wounded.  Pope  fell  upon  the  Confederates  with 
characteristic  energy  the  next  morning.  But  so  sure  was 
Jackson,  that  Lee  and  Longstreet  were  nearer  than  Pope 
dreamed,  that  he  only  fought  a  defensive  battle  at  first. 
Just  before  noon  on  the  2Qth,  his  wished-for  rebel  re-enforce 
ments  came  upon  the  field.  Pope  was  not  so  fortunate. 
Of  the  promised  troops  already  sent  from  the  Army  of  the 


i862.j  A  New  Commander.  277 

Potomac,  Porter's  fine  corps  had  taken  no  part  in  the  action, 
in  the  face  of  repeated  orders  to  advance  and  engage  the 
enemy.  McClellan's  habit  of  "putting  off"  had  kept  back 
re-enforcements,  notwithstanding  the  President's  urgent  tele 
grams  to  the  contrary.  It  was  only  when  positively  com 
manded  to  move,  that  Franklin's  corps  was  put  in  motion, 
and  only  then  in  time  to  cover  the  retreat.  Pope's  com 
munications  with  Washington  and  his  supplies  were  cut  off, 
and  he  had  mistaken  the  enemy's  design.  He  was  thus 
caught  in  a  trap. 

The  battle  was  continued  all  day  Friday,  the  29th,  grow 
ing  hotter  and  hotter  as  evening  approached.  The  forces 
were  engaged  until  nine  o'clock.  This  battle  near  Grove- 
ton  was  claimed  by  Pope  as  a  victory,  but  he  had  only  held 
his  ground.  That  night  he  sent  a  very  sharp  message  to 
Porter,  ordering  him  to  appear  on  the  field  at  daybreak  the 
next  morning.  Pope  was  very  much  annoyed  and  distressed 
to  receive  word  from  McClellan,  that,  "  as  soon  as  he  should 
send  a  cavalry  escort  for  the  train,"  provisions  should  be 
sent  for  his  army.  Pope  had  not  a  man  to  spare,  and  there 
were  forty  thousand  tired,  hungry  men  to  feed. 

General  Jackson  describes  the  battle  of  Saturday,  the  3Oth, 
as  "a  fierce  and  bloody  struggle."  Although  all  was  done 
that  was  possible,  under  the  disadvantages  under  which  the 
Union  army  suffered,  this  day  also  ended  in  defeat.  In 
the  history  of  the  war,  no  fiercer  contest  took  place  than  at 
the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  which,  like  the  first  on  the 
same  ground,  was  gained  by  the  Confederates.  And  even 
the  lapse  of  more  than  twenty  years  has  not  hushed  the 
strife  which  there  began.  General  Pope  charged  his  loss 
and  defeat  to  the  slowness  of  McClellan  to  support  him, 
and  to  the  disobedience  of  Fitz-John  Porter.  Pope  com 
plained,  that,  although  Porter  was  ordered  to  hasten  forward 
with  his  command  before  any  fighting  occurred,  he  never 
came  at  all. 


278      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War,     [1862. 

So  serious  a  matter  required  looking  into  ;  and,  after  a  trial 
by  court-martial,  General  Porter  was  dismissed  from  the  ser 
vice  of  the  United  States.  His  friends,  however,  thought 
him  badly  treated ;  and,  years  after,  the  case  was  carefully 
reviewed  by  a  military  board,  who  acquitted  him  of  blame. 
Still  later,  General  Porter  applied  to  be  restored  to  his  old 
position  in  the  army.  The  whole  ground  was  again  gone 
over;  every  incident  of  that  fearful  battle  was  brought  to 
light :  yet  the  best  men  in  the  nation,  military  and  civil, 
were  unable  to  agree  upon  the  case. 

After  the  battle,  the  retreat  was  orderly  and  deliberate,  by 
no  means  the  rout  which  it  was  a  year  before.  For  Lee,  it 
was  a  grand  victory,  worthy  of  his  genius  and  of  the  stanch 
soldiers  who  composed  his  army.  The  Union  Brigadier- 
Generals,  Hatch,  Schenck,  and  Tower  were  wounded ;  and 
Colonel  Baylor,  the  Confederate  commander  of  the  "  Stone 
wall  Brigade,"  was  killed.  In  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  a  Union 
officer  was  injured  by  the  fall  of  his  horse,  which  was  shot 
urider  him.  He  was  limping  off  the  field  when  he  saw  a 
body  of  men  going  in  the  same  direction.  Supposing  them 
to  be  running  away  from  duty,  he  tried  to  rally  them  and 
even  threatened  violence,  if  they  did  not  return.  "Who  are 
you,  sir?"  at  last  cried  one  of  the  number.  " Major  of  the 
Seventy-sixth,"  returned  the  officer.  " Seventy-sixth  what?" 
—  "  Seventy-sixth  New-York."  —  "  Well,  sir,"  answered  the 
rebel,  "  you  are  my  prisoner,  for  you  are  trying  to  rally  the 
Second  Mississippi." 

The  loss  on  both  sides  was  very  great.  The  retreat  brought 
the  Army  of  Virginia  to  Centreville  during  Saturday  night. 
Pope,  who  was  not  easily  discouraged,  bore  his  misfortunes 
bravely.  Not  so  the  North.  He  was  severely  criticised  for 
his  failure.  When  he  took  command  of  the  army,  he  had 
made  an  unfortunate  address  to  his  troops,  saying,  "  I  have 
come  to  you  from  the  West,  where  we  always  see  the  backs 


X862.]  A  New  Commander.  281 

of  our  enemies.  Glory  and  success  are  in  the  advance  : 
disaster  and  shame  lurk  in  the  rear."  He  said  a  good  deal 
more  in  the  same  strain,  which  called  forth  much  ill  feeling 
then,  and  afterwards. 

Naturally  supposing  that  the  Federals  would  withdraw  to 
Washington,  General  Jackson  undertook  a  flank  movement. 
Hastily  marching  around  them  to  the  eastward,  he  took  a 
position  near  the  town  of  Chantilly,  where  he  made  a  sharp 
attack  upon  them.  A  cold  rain  was  heavily  falling,  and  the 
night  of  Aug.  31  was  drawing  on.  The  brunt  of  the  battle 
fell  upon  Generals  Reno  and  Kearney.  Kearney  himself 
had  planted  a  battery  in  position,  and  was  cheering  his  men 
on,  when  he  was  shot,  at  the  head  of  his  troops.  General 
Isaac  J.  Stevens  was  also  killed.  The  Confederates  were 
driven  back,  leaving  the  field  to  the  Nationals.  General 
Lee,  who  knew  Kearney  well,  sent  his  body  with  a  flag  of 
truce  to  Pope's  headquarters.  General  Philip  Kearney  was  a 
native  of  New- York  City,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  a  very  early  age.  He  afterwards  entered  the  army,  and 
went  to  France  to  perfect  himself  in  military  science.  In 
Algeria  he  received  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  for 
bravery.  Returning  to  this  country,  he  served  in  the  Mexican 
war,  where  he  lost  his  left  arm.  He  went  to  Europe  again, 
and  again  received  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  from 
Napoleon  Third.  He  returned,  to  enter  the  civil  war  ;  and, 
as  we  already  know,  he  behaved  with  gallantry  in  the  "  seven- 
days'  battles  "  on  the  Peninsula.  Notwithstanding  that  both 
he  and  General  Howard  were  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  they  never  met  after  parting  at  Fair  Oaks. 

The  Army  of  Virginia  was  immediately  recalled  to  Wash 
ington,  which  was,  no  doubt,  a  welcome  order.  On  Saturday, 
the  30th  of  August,  when  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Manassas 
reached  Washington,  a  call  was  issued  to  the  citizens  from 
the  War  Department,  asking  them  to  go  out  to  the  battle- 


282      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

field,  and  assist  in  the  care  of  the  wounded.  At  least  a 
thousand  persons  went,  loaded  with  lint,  bandages,  and 
blankets.  More  would  have  gone,  but  the  invitation  was 
recalled.  Owing  to  the  presence  of  the  enemy  in  that  neigh 
borhood  it  was  thought  unsafe,  as  some  who  did  go  were 
made  prisoners  by  the  Confederates.  In  Boston  a  despatch 
was  received,  making  the  request  for  twenty  surgeons  and 
for  hospital  supplies.  Early  in  the  morning  of  Sunday  the 
3ist,  it  was  published  that  these  contributions  would  be 
received  at  Tremont  Temple  ;  and  clergymen  gave  the  same 
notice  from  their  pulpits.  Old  sheets,  under-clothing,  pillows, 
liquors,  jellies,  delicacies  of  all  kinds,  any  thing  which  could 
be  welcome  to  the  sick  soldier,  arrived  in  enormous  quanti 
ties,  from  morning  to  night.  Twenty-one  hundred  cases 
were  packed  and  ready  to  be  sent  by  the  night  train.  Sub 
scriptions  amounting  to  five  thousand  dollars  were  also  taken 
on  the  streets.  And  this  was  but  a  sample  of  the  spirit 
throughout  the  entire  country.  With  the  battle  of  Chantilly, 
Pope's  career  ended  in  Virginia.  He  asked  to  be  relieved 
of  his  command,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Department  of  the 
North- West,  on  the  8th  of  September. 

At  the  urgent  entreaty  of  his  friends,  McClellan  was  again 
placed  in  command  of  all  the  armies  of  Virginia,  under  the 
old  name  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  soldiers  re 
ceived  him  with  shouts  of  joy.  McClellan's  wonderful  skill 
in  gathering,  organizing,  and  training  an  army,  is  admitted 
by  every  one.  With  all  his  might  he  began  to  get  this  vast 
body  of  men  ready  to  be  again  set  in  motion. 

On  the  ist  of  July  the  President  had  called  for  three 
hundred  thousand  men,  to  serve  till  the  war  was  over.  In 
June  he  had  asked  for  forty  thousand,  for  a  term  of  three 
months.  Now,  on  the  9th  of  August,  he  again  appealed  to 
the  people  for  three  hundred  thousand  more,  to  serve  for 
nine  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time  a  draft  was  to  be 


A  New  Commander.  285 

ordered,  unless  three  hundred  thousand  men  volunteered 
to  take  the  places  of  those  whose  time  should  then  expire. 
The  call  was  promptly  answered,  as  Abraham  of  old  answered 
the  call  of  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  "  Here  am  I."  But  Gen 
eral  Lee  thought  that  it  would  be  safer  not  to  wait  for  these 
fresh  troops  to  be  equipped,  and  sent  to  the  field  :  so  he 
began  operations  at  once. 

In  the  fourteen  months  since  the  fall  of  Sumter,  the  whole 
nation,  from  Maine  to  Florida,  had  burst  forth  into  singing 
war-songs.  The  war  was  the  one  idea  filling  the  public 
mind.  No  doubt  these  songs  encouraged  patriotism,  stimu 
lated  the  men  in  the  field,  and  helped  their  friends  at  home 
to  bear  their  absence.  One  of  the  prettiest  of  them  was  a 
rebel  song  called  "  My  Maryland."  General  Lee,  believing 
this  song  to  be  the  voice  of  the  people,  expected  Maryland  to 

—  "  Burst  the  tyrant's  chain," 

and  flock  to  the  rebel  standard,  if  it  were  only  once  borne 
into  that  State.  He  had  many  good  reasons  for  invading 
Maryland ;  and,  now  that  the  Union  army  was  out  of  the 
way  at  Alexandria,  what  was  there  to  hinder  him?  The 
Confederate  soldiers  were  ragged,  and  many  were  barefoot ; 
but  would  they  not  be  better  able  to  go  without  shoes  and 
clothing  now  than  in  winter?  So  reasoning,  Lee  pushed 
forward.  He  followed  up  the  south  bank  of  the  Potomac  to 
Leesburg,  where  he  crossed,  and  marched  straight  to  Fred 
erick.  He  issued  a  stirring  address  to  the  people,  in  which 
he  said  he  had  come  to  right  their  wrongs,  and  aid  them  in 
"throwing  off  this  foreign  yoke."  But  he  was  disappointed. 
Frederick  was  a  peculiarly  loyal  city ;  and  General  Jackson, 
who  led  the  advance,  found  many  a  National  flag  flying  in 
the  town.  The  sight  of  such  odious  bunting  vexed  his  right 
eous  soul,  and  he  ordered  all  the  flags  to  be  removed.  Near 
a  bridge  which  spans  the  river  lived  an  aged  woman,  whose 


286     Young  Folks '  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

name  has  become  historical.  From  a  little  dormer-window 
in  her  house  floated  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  that  memorable 
day.  The  flag  was  hauled  down,  with  all  the  rest ;  but  that 
loyal  old  woman,  infirm  though  she  was,  flung  its  folds  to 
the  breeze  again.  As  Jackson's  troops  passed  her  door, 
they  saw  it,  and  halted.  Somebody  gave  the  order  to  fire, 
and  in  an  instant  the  torn  banner  dangled  from  the  broken 
staff.  Bed-ridden  as  had  been  Barbara  Freitchie  for  years, 
she  snatched  the  flag,  and  — 

"  She  leaned  far  out  on  the  window-sill, 
And  shook  it  forth  with  a  royal  will. 

'  Shoot,  if  you  must,  this  old  gray  head, 
But  spare  your  country's  flag ! '  she  said. 

A  shade  of  sadness,  a  blush  of  shame, 
Over  the  face  of  the  leader  came. 

The  noble  nature  within  him  stirred 
To  life  at  that  woman's  deed  and  word. 

'  Who  touches  a  hair  of  that  gray  head 
Dies  like  a  dog!     March  on  ! '  he  said. 

All  day  long,  through  Frederick  street 
Sounded  the  tread  of  marching  feet. 

All  day  long,  that  free  flag  tost 
Over  the  heads  of  the  rebel  host." 

The  truth  of  this  story  is  questioned  nowadays,  but  there 
must  have  been  a  reasonable  foundation  for  the  poet  Whittier 
to  build  his  ballad  upon.  Some  of  the  loyal  citizens  of 
Frederick  do  not  deny  it,  and  others  affirm  it.  At  any  rate, 
it  is  no  more  improbable  than  many  a  feat  of  valor  with 
which  heroes  are  credited. 

Stonewall  Jackson's  advance-guard  reached  Frederick  on 
the  6th  of  September.  The  next  day,  being  Sunday,  Gen- 


BAKHARA    KRBITCHIB. 


i862.]  A  New  Commander.  289 

eral  Jackson  attended  church,  where  the  fearless  pastor,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Zacharias,  prayed  in  a  firm  voice  for  the  President 
of  the  United  States. 

Notwithstanding  the  appearance  of  Jackson  with  his  "army 
of  liberation,"  brave',  ragged,  and  dirty,  he  received  not  a 
single  recruit.  A  few  women  did,  indeed,  gather  secretly  to 
make  clothing  for  the  army;  but  that  was  all,  unless  we 
except  a  presentation  to  General  Jackson  of  a  magnificent 
horse,  which  threw  him  the  first  time  he  mounted  him. 

Leaving  General  Banks  in  charge  of  the  defence  of  the 
Capital,  General  McClellan  took  the  field  in  person  on 
the  yth  of  September,  and  moved  in  pursuit  of  the  rebels. 
Although  he  knew  that  it  was  "  quite  probable  "  that  Lee 
was  in  Frederick  on  the  loth,  he  only  arrived  there  on  the 
evening  of  the  i2th,  two  days  after  the  rebels  had  gone. 
In  General  Hill's  headquarters  at  Frederick,  McClellan  had 
the  rare  good  luck  to  find  a  copy  of  Lee's  orders  to  his 
army.  Up  to  this  time,  it  was  impossible  to  guess  what 
Lee's  plans  were.  He  might  intend  to  get  McClellan  out 
to  follow  him,  and  then,  when  the  Capital  was  unprotected, 
he  could,  by  a  flank  movement,  throw  himself  upon  it.  Of 
course,  this  was  to  be  guarded  against,  and  might  perhaps 
excuse  McClellan's  lack  of  haste.  But,  now  that  the  order 
was  found  which  showed  just  what  Lee  was  going  to  do, 
there  was  no  apology  for  halfway  work. 

General  Lee's  army  was  to  be  divided.  Jackson  was  to 
press  forward  rapidly  through  the  South  Mountains,  along 
the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac,  past  Sharpsburg  and  Har 
per's  Ferry,  and,  crossing  the  river  at  the  most  convenient 
point,  he  was  to  seize  Martinsburg,  and  afterward  Harper's 
Ferry.  The  Confederate  General  Walker,  in  the  mean  time, 
was  to  cross  the  Potomac,  east  of  Harper's  Ferry,  and  to 
occupy  Loudon  Heights,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Shenan- 
doah.  But  there  was  still  another  place  "  hard  by,"  which 


290      Voting  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

Lee  coveted  as  much  as  King  Ahab  coveted  the  vineyard  of 
Naboth.  This  was  the  stronghold  of  Maryland  Heights,  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac.  Its  guns  commanded  the 
post  of  Harper's  Ferry.  It  was  indeed  the  key  to  the 
valley.  The  well-laid  scheme  of  its  *  sudden  capture  was 
intrusted  to  General  McLaws. 

Before  we  go  farther,  we  will  examine  the  situation  by  the 
aid  of  the  map.  To  the  north  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains, 
and  running  in  the  same  direction,  lies  a  range  of  hills  which 
is  known  as  the  South  Mountains.  At  Harper's  Ferry  it  is 
cut  in  two  by  the  Potomac ;  and  a  spur  on  the  northern 
bank,  which  rises  above  all  the  surrounding  hills,  is  called 
Maryland  Heights,  which  nearly  a  month  before,  General 
Wool  had  directed  Colonel  Miles  to  fortify ;  but  no  attempt 
to  carry  out  that  order  had  ever  been  made.  Of  course, 
General  Lee  knew  this,  and  that  it  would  fall  an  easy  prey 
whenever  the  time  came  to  capture  it. 

While  this  was  going  on,  Lee  himself  was  to  conduct  the 
main  body  of  the  Confederates  through  the  passes  or  gaps 
of  the  South  Mountain,  into  Pleasant  Valley,  which  lies 
between  that  range  and  the  Potomac.  Here  Jackson  and 
McLaws  were  to  join  Lee  for  further  operations. 

Well,  now  that  the  rebel  programme  was  in  McClellan's 
hands,  it  only  remained  for  him  to  change  it  to  suit  his  own 
taste ;  but  we  shall  see  what  was  done.  Jackson  carried 
out  his  orders  to  the  letter,  as  he  always  did.  He  left  Fred- 
ericksburg  on  the  loth,  and,  crossing  the  Potomac  the  next 
day,  he  hurried  toward  Martinsburg.  General  Julius  White, 
with  his  command,  left  that  post  immediately  upon  his  ap 
proach,  retiring  to  Bolivar  Heights,  above  Harper's  Ferry, 
and  leaving  Jackson  in  undisputed  possession  of  Martins- 
burg.  General  McLaws  also  performed  his  part  promptly ; 
and  on  the  i3th  he  had  installed  himself  with  his  troops  at 
Maryland  Heights,  after  a  very  slight  resistance  on  the  part 


CUTTING    OFF   JACKSON. 


i86a.]  A  New  Commander.  293 

of  Colonel  Thomas  H.  Ford.  As  Loudon  Heights  was 
seized  on  the  same  day,  the  fall  of  Harper's  Ferry  was  not 
far  off.  Colonel  D.  S.  Miles,  who,  you  remember,  won  small 
praise  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  was  commandant  of 
the  post  of  Harper's  Ferry.  On  the  i5th,  early  in  the 
morning,  the  batteries  from  all  the  surrounding  heights 
opened  fire  upon  it. 

The  National  batteries  answered  till  all  their  ammunition 
for  long-range  guns  was  gone,  when  Miles  ordered  the  white 
flag  to  be  raised.  Captain  Phillips  of  the  Hundred  and 
Twenty-sixth  New-York  entreated  Colonel  Miles  not  to 
surrender ;  but  he  replied,  "  They  will  blow  us  out  of  this  in 
half  an  hour."  Still  Phillips  urged,  that,  even  with  a  great 
loss  of  men,  the  place  and  its  stores  could  be  saved  till  relief 
should  come.  At  last  Miles  exclaimed  impatiently,  "  Do 
you  know  who  I  am?"  —"I  do,"  answered  Phillips,  with 
a  deep  meaning  in  his  voice.  "  You  are  Colonel  Miles." 
At  that  moment,  a  piece  of  a  shell  struck  Miles  in  the  leg, 
tearing  the  flesh  cruelly.  At  length  the  white  flag  was  seen 
by  the  enemy,  and  the  firing  ceased.  By  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  Harper's  Ferry  had  been  surrendered.  When  it 
was  made  known,  the  men  showed  great  dissatisfaction. 
One  sturdy  captain  burst  into  tears  as  he  exclaimed,  "  Boys, 
we  have  no  country  now  ! "  A  few  hours  after,  Colonel 
Miles  died  in  the  hospital,  in  great  agony.  General  Julius 
White,  who  succeeded  him  in  command,  arranged  with  Gen 
eral  A.  P.  Hill  the  terms  of  surrender,  while,  says  Swinton, 
"  the  swift-footed  Jackson  turned  his  back  on  the  prize  he 
had  secured,  and  headed  toward  Maryland,  to  unite  with 
Lee,  who  was  eagerly  awaiting  his  arrival  at  Sharpsburg." 
When  the  proper  time  came,  Colonel  Ford  was  cashiered 
for  his  shameful  abandonment  of  Maryland  Heights.  The 
rebel  spoils  were  twelve  thousand  men,  as  many  small-arms, 
a  quantity  of  stores,  and  seventy-three  pieces  of  artillery. 


294     Young  folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

CHAINS. 


S(  >  far,  General  I^ee's  plans  had  worked  well.  While 
Jackson  and  his  fellow-generals  were  doing  their  part, 
the  main  rebel  army  was  pressing  through  the  passes  of  the 
South  Mountain,  toward  JJoonesboro'.  The  Nationals,  in  two 
columns,  followed  closely.  The  left  wing,  under  Franklin, 
took  the  road  through  Crampton'l  Gap.  The  right  and 
centre,  under  Burnside,  marched  toward  Turner's  Gap,  six 
miles  to  the  north.  Lee  had  already  reached  the  summit  of 
the  passes,  intending  to  leave  them  unguarded,  and  hasten 
on.  When,  however,  he  found  that  McClellan's  advance 
column  was  so  near,  there  was  nothing  left  but  to  defend 
the  gaps,  so  that  Jackson  might  profit  by  the  delay.  The 
Federal  left  was  pushed  forward  quickly  in  order  to  afford 
relief  to  Harper's  Ferry,  then  in  a  state  of  siege.  Franklin's 
force,  being  much  larger  than  that  of  the  Confederates,  after 
three  hours  of  hard  fighting,  gained  the  crest  of  Crampton's 
Gap,  reaching  Pleasant  Valley  on  the  western  side  the  same 
night.  The  loss  was  about  five  hundred  on  each  side,  but 
Franklin  took  four  hundred  prisoners. 

This  was  Sunday,  the  i4th  of  September.  The  same  day 
McClellan  advanced  upon  Turner's  Gap.  Burnside  led  the 
way.  The  road  through  Turner's  Gap  was  very  difficult  and 
steep.  As  the  rebels  were  already  posted  above  them,  the 
Nationals  had  to  fight  up  hill,  which  was  greatly  to  their 
disadvantage.  But  they  steadily  crowded  their  way  up. 


i86a.]  Broken  Chains.  295 

Every  inch  of  the  way  was  taken,  not  yielded.  Near  the 
top,  a  savage  encounter  took  place  between  the  Twenty-third 
South-Carolina  and  the  Twenty-third  Ohio  regiments.  This 
latter  regiment  was  a  part  of  General  Cox's  Kanawha  divis 
ion,  known  as  the  "  Psalm-singers  of  the  Western  Reserve." 
It  was  a  trial  of  matched  strength  and  courage.  When,  at  last, 
they  were  overpowered,  the  Carolinians  were  so  desperate, 
that  not  a  man  surrendered  until  he  had  made  his  gun  worth 
less  by  beating  it  against  a  tree  or  rock.  But  the  Unionists 
carried  and  held  the  crest,  which  was  the  key  to  the  pass ; 
and  at  nightfall  the  Confederates  retreated  to  Sharpsburg. 
Still,  Lee  was  well  satisfied  with  his  day's  work.  Although 
his  loss  had  been  heavy,  it  had  delayed  the  "  Yankee  army 
until  Harper's  Ferry  could  not  be  relieved." 

On  the  Union  side,  General  Jesse  L.  Reno  had  been  killed. 
As  he  received  his  death-wound,  he  said,  "  Boys,  I  can 
be  no  longer  with  you  in  body,  but  I  can  be  with  you  in 
spirit."  The  Confederate  General  Garland  was  also  killed. 
About  fifteen  hundred  Confederate  prisoners  were  taken. 

The  night  after  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Lee  retreated 
to  the  west  bank  of  Antietam  Creek,  in  front  of  Sharpsburg. 
His  position  was  excellent.  The  Antietam  is  crossed  by 
four  stone  bridges,  three  of  which  were  well  guarded ;  and 
the  fords  were  all  difficult.  Behind  him  was  a  low  range  of 
hills,  sloping  down  to  the  Potomac.  McClellan's  advance 
arrived  on  the  east  bank  opposite,  on  Monday,  the  i5th, 
and  took  position  behind  the  hills  at  Keedysville.  "  On  the 
afternoon  of  that  hot  i5th  of  September,"  says  General 
Palfrey,  "  while  the  long  columns  of  the  Federal  arrny  were 
resting  along  the  Boonesboro'  road,  McClellan  passed  through 
them  to  the  front,  and  had  from  them  such  a  magnifi 
cent  reception  as  was  worth  living  for.  .  .  .  The  weary  men 
sprang  to  their  feet,  and  cheered  and  cheered,  and,  as  he 
went,  the  cheers  went  before  him  and  with  him  and  after 


296     Voting  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

him,  till  the  sound,  receding  with  the  distance,  at  last  died 
away." 

It  will  give  you  a  better  idea  of  the  immense  space  which 
this  army  covered,  to  know  that  a  single  corps  is  nearly 
twenty  miles  in  length  when  it  is  ready  to  march.  Let  us 
count  and  see.  Twenty-one  thousand  and  four  hundred 
infantry,  marching  four  abreast,  would  take  up  six  miles ; 
seven  hundred  wagons,  seven  miles  more  ;  fifty  ambulances 
for  the  sick  and  wounded,  one  mile  (here  are  fourteen 
miles  already)  ;  thirty  cannon  and  thirty  caissons,  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile ;  and  five  hundred  cavalry,  five  miles, 
making  nineteen  miles  and  three-quarters.  This  is  not 
counting  the  herd  of  cattle  that  often  follows  an  army  to 
feed  it.  General  Jackson  used  to  say  that  he  could  beat 
any  army  that  was  followed  by  a  herd  of  cattle.  Well,  the 
whole  Union  army,  excepting  Franklin's  corps,  which  was  on 
the  way,  was  gathered  on  the  Antietam.  On  the  rebel  side, 
Longstreet  and  Hill  were  alone ;  but  no  attack  was  made 
that  night.  McClellan  spent  Tuesday  in  reconnoitring,  and 
getting  ready  for  action.  In  the  afternoon,  Hooker  crossed 
the  Antietam  by  a  ford  and  the  upper  bridge,  which  was  not 
guarded.  Fighting  sharply,  he  pushed  on  till  dark.  That 
night  the  two  armies  rested  with  only  a  patch  of  open  ground 
and  a  few  corn-fields  between  them.  During  the  night  Gen 
eral  Mansfield  crossed  his  troops,  taking  position  in  Hooker's 
rear.  At  daybreak  "  Fighting  Joe "  Hooker  opened  the 
battle  with  zeal  enough  to  sustain  his  reputation ;  and  Jack 
son,  who  had  arrived  upon  the  field  the  day  before,  replied 
with  equal  fury.  Before  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  whole 
regiments  had  been  destroyed.  Others  took  their  places. 
Dense  masses  of  faded  blue  were  hurled  against  walls  of 
dingy  brown  and  gray.  Then  clouds  of  sulphurous  smoke 
closed  over  the  scene,  and  hid  them  all  from  sight.  One 
figure  stood  out  in  bold  distinctness.  Here,  there,  every- 


i86a.]  Broken  Chains.  297 

where,  on  his  milk-white  horse,  General  Hooker  dashed  into 
the  thick  of  the  fight.  Bullets  pattered  like  a  summer  hail 
storm.  The  yells  of  the  rebels,  the  shouts  of  the  Nationals, 
and  the  groans  of  the  dying,  filled  the  air,  even  above  the 
roar  of  artillery  and  musketry.  At  length,  sorely  pressed, 
Hooker  called  for  Mansfield ;  and  with  their  combined 
strength  they  forced  the  enemy  back.  But  at  this  crisis 
General  Mansfield  was  killed,  and  Hooker  was  so  severely 
wounded  in  the  foot  that  he  had  to  leave  the  field.  The 
Nationals  had  the  advantage  at  this  moment.  Bitterly  sorry 
to  leave  a  battle  so  nearly  won,  the  fiery  Hooker  cried,  "  I 
would  gladly  have  compromised  with  the  enemy  by  receiv 
ing  a  mortal  wound  at  night,  could  I  but  have  remained  at 
the  head  of  my  troops  until  the  sun  went  down."  Sumner's 
corps  next  entered  the  field,  and  marched  straight  into  a 
trap.  So  completely  were  his  troops  encircled,  that  he  lost 
nearly  two  thousand  men  in  a  moment.  When  the  bullets 
were  flying  around  him,  Sumner  was  obliged  to  send  his  son, 
a  young  captain  on  his  staff,  to  a  distant  part  of  the  battle 
field.  After  his  orders  were  fully  given,  the  father  embraced 
his  boy,  and  said,  "  Good-by,  Sammy."  —  "Good-by,  father," 
the  son  replied,  and  rode  away.  When  he  came  back  in 
safety,  General  Sumner  took  his  hand  fondly  in  his  own,  and 
said  earnestly,  "How  d'ye  do,  Sammy?"  He  was  well 
aware  that  the  "chances  and  changes"  of  that  short  time 
might  have  deprived  him  of  his  favorite  son. 

All  this  had  happened,  before  ten  o'clock,  on  the  Union 
right.  On  the  left,  Burnside  was  fighting  for  the  possession 
of  the  second  bridge  from  the  Potomac.  One  effort  after 
another  failed  to  carry  it  by  storm.  A  dashing  charge  with 
fixed  bayonets,  a  crash  of  artillery,  and  it  was  done  at  last, 
but  with  the  loss  of  five  hundred  men.  Then  Burnside's 
troops  safely  crossed,  and  pressed  on  toward  Sharpsburg,  but 
were  again  repulsed.  In  the  National  cemetery  at  Antietam 


298      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

is  shown  to-day  a  limestone  rock  where  Lee  stood  to  direct 
his  troops.  The  field  then  swarmed  with  living  rebels  :  now 
thousands  of  dead  soldiers  sleep  in  its  peaceful  enclosure. 

The  battle  of  Antietam  is  especially  difficult  to  follow. 
What  with  wheeling  and  marching,  advancing  and  retreating, 
charging  and  falling  back,  it  is  enough  to  discourage  the 
casual  reader.  Hooker  and  Burnside  were  really  fighting 
two  distinct  battles.  Lee  was  ever  present  on  the  field, 
urging  and  inspiring  his  troops  ;  McClellan,  never.  With  the 
enthusiastic  devotion  of  his  army,  what  might  not  "Little 
Mac  "  have  done,  had  he  shown  himself  at  the  head  of  his 
command  !  An  old  farmer  once  said  that  his  men  accom 
plished  much  more  work  when  the  order  was,  "  Come,  boys," 
than  if  it  were,  "  Go,  boys." 

When  night  settled  over  the  battle-field,  there  was  noth 
ing  to  show  for  the  sacrifice  of  life,  excepting  a  few  feet  of 
ground,  more  or  less,  watered  by  the  best  blood  in  the  land. 
Nationals  and  Confederates  lay  side  by  side,  enemies  no 
longer.  There  had  been  no  lack  of  courage.  The  rebels 
gallantly  attacked  and  defended  :  the  Federals  bravely  defend 
ed  and  attacked.  Although  claimed  as  a  Union  victory,  in 
reality  the  fight  at  Antietam  had  been  but  a  drawn  battle. 
A  field  of  waving  corn  had  been  the  scene  of  the  most 
fearful  bloodshed.  Between  the  rows,  the  dead  lay  heaped 
upon  each  other.  "  In  an  open  space,"  says  Captain 
Noyes,  "  I  saw  bodies,  dressed  in  the  rebel  gray,  lying  in 
ranks  so  regular,  that  Death  the  reaper  must  have  mowed 
them  down." 

A  Massachusetts  drummer-boy  lay  ill  in  hospital  after  the 
battle  of  Antietam.  No  doubt  he  often  wished  for  home  in 
the  long  hours,  but  he  never  complained.  One  day  he  was 
given  some  blackberry  cordial,  and  was  told  that  it  had  been 
sent  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Boston. 
The  boy's  face  brightened ;  and  he  said,  "  May  be,  sir,  my 


i862.]  Broken  Chains.  301 

mother  made  this :  she  was  always  good.  Anyhow,  God 
bless  you  and  them  that  sent  it !  " 

The  clay  after  the  battle,  when  a  supply-train  arrived,  and 
rations  were  distributed,  an  officer  met  the  captain  of  a 
company,  who  raised  a  large  piece  of  pork  on  his  sword, 
saying,  "  Look  here  !  This  is  the  allowance  of  pork  for  my 
company.  I  shall  have  to  eat  it  all,  for  I  am  the  only  one 
left."  The  loss  on  both  sides  was  not  less  than  twenty-five 
thousand. 

Next  morning  before  light,  the  boys  in  blue  ate  their 
slender  breakfast,  and  made  ready  for  a  second  day  of  battle. 
They  knew  that  some  advantage  had  been  gained,  and  they 
were  determined  not  to  let  Lee  escape  again  :  besides,  they 
had  been  joined  by  fourteen  thousand  fresh  troops.  But  the 
day  went  by  without  any  order  to  attack.  Another  night 
dragged  on,  and  in  the  morning  Lee  was  gone.  This  was 
hard.  What,  they  asked  themselves,  had  been  the  use  of  all 
this  patriotism  and  suffering  and  death  ? 

For  a  long  time  the  President  had  been  turning  over  in 
his  mind  the  subject  of  the  emancipation  or  freedom  of  the 
slaves.  At  first  he  was  not  at  all  inclined  to  meddle  with 
the  question ;  but,  as  the  war  went  on,  he  began  to  see 
that  it  might  be  necessary  as  a  means  of  self-defence  to 
free  the  slaves.  Of  course,  it  really  helped  to  prolong  the 
struggle  to  allow  slaves  to  cultivate  the  plantations  of  men 
who  were  fighting  in  the  rebel  army.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  were  loyal  slave-owners,  who  would  suffer  if  the  slaves 
were  freed.  Many  other  ways  were  proposed,  one  of  which 
was  to  pay  loyal  slave-owners  for  their  negroes ;  but  noth 
ing  was  very  practical.  It  was  indeed  a  difficult  question 
to  settle.  When  his  friends  urged  him  to  take  the  matter 
into  his  own  hands  and  free  them  all  at  once,  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  answer  was,  "  Whatsoever  shall  appear  to  be  God's 
will,  I  will  do."  And  the  nation  waited  breathlessly  for 


302      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

his  decision.  It  came  at  last.  On  the  22(1  of  Septem 
ber,  1862,  the  President  issued  a  proclamation  which  gave 
no  uncertain  sound.  It  was  a  solemn  warning  to  those 
States  in  rebellion,  that,  unless  they  should  return  to  their 
allegiance  to  the  government  of  the  United  States  within 
the  next  hundred  days,  all  slaves  held  within  any  such 
State,  or  part  of  a  State,  should  be  "  thenceforward  and  for 
ever  FREE,"  and  that  the  government  would  stand  by  them 
to  secure  that  freedom.  Moreover,  the  slaves  would  be  re 
ceived,  after  that  time,  into  the  army  or  navy  of  the  United 
States.  It  also  secured  other  rights  of  an  American  citizen 
to  every  freedman.  The  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  was 
issued  two  days  after  Lee  crossed  the  Potomac  into  Vir 
ginia.  It  was  received  with  disfavor  by  many ;  but  upon 
the  whole  it  met  with  favor,  although  it  produced  intense 
excitement.  The  slaves  alone  seemed  to  take  it  quietly, 
unable  yet  to  comprehend  the  whole  truth. 

The  battle  of  Antietam  was  claimed  as  a  Union  victory,  and 
of  course  McClellan  was  expected  to  follow  up  his  advantage. 
Still  he  lingered,  excusing  his  delay  on  the  ground  that  the 
army  was  not  prepared  with  shoes  or  clothing  for  a  long 
march.  The  rebel  army  was  half  naked  when  it  advanced 
into  Maryland.  While  he  was  doubting  and  debating,  "Jeb" 
Stuart's  cavalry  made  another  raid  around  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  This  time  it  even  penetrated  Pennsylvania  as  far 
as  Chambersburg,  doing  much  damage  to  public  and  private 
property,  and  again  escaping  across  the  river  into  Virginia. 

President  Lincoln  visited  the  army  while  it  lingered  on 
the  banks  of  the  Antietam.  He  was  thinner,  and  looked  more 
careworn,  and  was  more  silent  than  usual.  A  few  days  later, 
impatient  of  the  slow  progress  of  McClellan,  the  President 
relieved  him  from  duty,  and  turned  his  command  over  to 
Major-General  Ambrose  E.  Burnside,  who  accepted  his  ap 
pointment  reluctantly,  for  McClellan  was  his  warm  friend. 


i862.i  Broken  C/iains.  305 

As  on  a  former  occasion,  McClellan  received  the  news  with 
calmness,  and  behaved  with  great  good  temper  toward  his 
successor.  Burnside  assumed  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  on  the  loth  of  November.  Both  armies  were 
moving  southward  at  the  time,  toward  the  Rappahannock. 
and  were  separated  only  by  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains, 
Burnside  reached  Fredericksburg  first ;  but  his  pontoon 
bridges  did  not  get  there  for  eight  days.  In  the  mean  time, 
Lee  had  crossed  the  river,  fortified  Fredericksburg,  and 
re-enforced  the  garrison.  Sumner  had  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  cross  by  fords  at  once  ;  but  this  Burnside  was  afraid  to  do, 
because  the  Confederate  strength  already  there  was  not 
known.  No  thought  of  flanking  the  enemy  seems  to  have 
entered  Burnside's  mind.  He  therefore  prepared  to  attack 
Lee  in  his  present  intrenched  position.  The  building  of 
the  pontoon  bridges  began.  Owing  to  sharpshooters  on 
the  bluff  banks  opposite,  the  work  was  done  with  the  utmost 
difficulty.  At  last  the  Federal  guns  were  turned  upon  the 
town,  setting  it  on  fire  in  many  places,  and  for  a  while  the 
bridge-building  went  on.  After  many  failures,  volunteers 
were  called  for,  to  cross  in  boats  and  drive  the  riflemen 
away.  It  was  bravely  done  by  the  Seventh  Michigan  and 
the  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth  Massachusetts  regiments. 
Among  the  volunteers  for  the  forlorn  hope  was  the  Rev. 
Arthur  B.  Fuller,  a  Masachusetts  chaplain,  and  brother  of 
the  celebrated  Margaret  Fuller.  By  his  pure  Christian  char 
acter  and  devotion  to  his  work,  he  had  won  the  love  of  every 
man  in  his  regiment.  He  was  killed  soon  after  he  reached 
the  shore.  Another  volunteer  in  that  noble  little  army  was 
a  courageous  drummer-boy  but  twelve  years  old,  named 
Robert  Hendershott.  When  the  Seventh  Michigan  was 
pushing  off,  he  followed.  "  You  can't  go,"  said  an  officer. 
"  I  want  to  go,"  said  Robert.  "  No,  you  will  get  shot.  Out 
with  you  !  "  was  the  answer.  The  boy  waited  to  push  the 
boat  off,  but  he  clung  fast  to  the  boat. 


306      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

At  last  the  men  allowed  him  to  get  in.  As  the  boat 
touched  the  other  side,  a  piece  of  shell  struck  his  drum. 
Throwing  the  drum  away,  he  seized  a  gun  which  some  fallen 
soldier  had  dropped,  and  scrambled  up  the  steep  bank. 
Encountering  a  wounded  rebel,  Robert  pointed  his  gun  at 
him,  crying,  "Surrender!"  Then  he  proudly  marched  his 
prisoner  to  the  rear.  After  the  battle,  General  Burnside 
said  to  him,  "  Boy,  I  glory  in  your  spunk.  If  you  keep  on 
this  way  a  few  years  more,  you  will  take  my  place."  Robert 
fought  well  in  more  than  one  battle,  and  was  known  as  the 
"  Drummer-boy  of  the  Rappahannock." 

That  night  the  Union  army  crossed  by  four  pontoon- 
bridges  into  the  town  of  Fredericksburg.  The  next  was 
a  day  to  be  remembered.  The  intrenched  position  of 
the  Confederates  on  the  semicircular  heights  surrounding 
the  town,  made  the  struggle  hopeless  from  the  first  mo 
ment.  Burnside 's  army  was  divided  into  three  corps,  under 
Hooker,  Franklin,  and  Sumner.  Franklin  opened  the  battle 
on  the  left,  General  George  C.  Meade  leading  the  attack 
on  Jackson's  right.  More  troops  were  pressed  into  the  ser 
vice,  till  the  whole  of  Franklin's  command  seemed  to  be  en 
gaged.  Longstreet  was  securely  posted  on  Marye's  Hill, 
back  of  the  town,  at  the  foot  of  which  ran  a  stone  wall. 
Here  the  battle  was  most  appalling.  Hancock  and  French, 
of  Sumner's  corps,  made  the  attack,  supported  by  Howard. 
It  was  gallantly  done  ;  but  they  were  repulsed,  leaving  four 
thousand  fallen  comrade's  on  the  field. 

In  vain  Hooker  now  urged  Burnside  to  withdraw  his 
troops.  He  only  answered,  "  That  crest  must  be  carried  to 
night."  Hooker  returned  to  a  fierce  assault  with  artillery, 
followed  by  Humphrey's  division,  four  thousand  strong, 
which  made  a  bayonet-charge  with  the  loss  of  seventeen 
hundred  men.  Six  times  the  Federals  were  repulsed,  and 
at  length  Burnside  consented  to  retire.  On  trie  night  of 


i863-j  Broken  Chains.  307 

Dec.  15,  the  Union  army  recrossed  the  Rappahannock, 
having  left  fifteen  thousand  dead  or  wounded  men  on  the 
other  side. 

The  new  year  found  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  win 
ter-quarters  opposite  Fredericksburg.  Since  the  first  shot 
was  fired  at  Sumter,  more  than  one  million  of  men,  in 
army  and  navy,  had  volunteered  for  the  Union.  At  this 
time  scarcely  half  that  number  was  serving.  Many,  as  we 
know,  had  died  in  battle  or  in  hospitals.  Somewhere  in 
rebel  prisons  many  longed  for  home,  while  for  the  rest 
the  time  of  service  had  expired.  We  know,  upon  the  au 
thority  of  Dr.  Draper,  that,  "if  the  trains  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  alone  had  been  put  upon  a  single  road  toward 
Richmond,  the  head  of  the  column  would  have  reached  that 
city  before  the  rear  was  out  of  sight  of  Washington." 

The  clayey  soil  of  Virginia  had  softened  with  continuous 
rain,  making  a  forward  movement  at  that  season  difficult, 
one  might  say  impossible,  had  not  Napoleon  called  "im 
possible  the  adjective  of  fools."  One  day,  for  a  joke,  the 
rebels  put  up  a  big  signboard,  with  its  face  toward  the  Union 
encampment,  bearing  this  inscription,  "STUCK  IN  THE  MUD  !" 
The  Confederate  army  was  filthy,  ragged,  and  barefoot,  and 
their  honest  leader,  "  Stonewall "  Jackson,  was  scarcely  one 
degree  more  decent  in  appearance.  The  "Johnnies,"  as 
they  were  nicknamed,  used  to  say  that  they  knew  a  "Yank" 
by  his  gun,  which  was  always  bright ;  for  theirs  were  always 
rusty. 

Mr.  Henry  J.  Raymond  of  the  New- York  "Times"  paid 
a  visit  to  the  Union  camp  in  January.  One  day  he  received 
the  following  alarming  despatch,  "  Your  brother's  corpse  is 
at  Belle  Plain."  He  hurried  off  to  the  place  named,  and 
found  his  brother  alive,  well,  and  glad  to  see  him.  The 
telegraph-operator  had  only  misspelled  the  word  "corps," 
making  it  "  corpse." 


308      Voting  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

The  first  day  of  1863  was  one  of  deep  interest  and  anxi 
ety,  both  to  North  and  South.  The  "  one  hundred  days  " 
had  expired,  and  this  was  the  birthday  of  freedom  to  the 
slaves.  Believing  that  it  would  come,  long  and  patiently 
the  negroes  had  waited  for  this  glad  time.  On  the  last  night 
of  the  old  year,  —  the  last  night  of  slavery,  —  all  over  the 
South  they  waited,  on  bended  knees,  for  the  clock  to  strike 
the  hour  of  midnight ;  and  at  the  last  stroke  they  thanked 
God  for  liberty.  Earnestly  they  poured  out  their  broken 
prayers  for  "  Massa  Linkum."  So  slavery  passed,  "as  a  tale 
that  is  told." 


i86z.]         The  Stuff  that  Heroes  are-  made  of,         309 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE  STUFF  THAT  HEROES  ARE  MADE  OF. 

A  SPIDER  weaves  his  web  to  catch  his  prey  :    so  the 
two  armies,  Union  and  Confederate,  were  trying  to 
entangle  each  other  in  the  meshes  of  their  military  fly-traps. 
With  what  success  their  efforts  were  crowned,  we  shall  see. 

While  General  Grant  was  fighting  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
General  O.  M.  Mitchel,  who  commanded  a  division  under 
Buell,  was  taking  possession  of  Huntsville,  Alabama.  By 
skilful  management  the  town  was  captured  without  the  loss 
of  a  single  life. 

Huntsville  is  on  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railway, 
to  the  west  of  Chattanooga.  General  Mitchel  pushed  on 
from  Shelbyville  till  within  eight  miles  of  the  coveted 
town.  Here  he  bivouacked.  His  tired  soldiers  slept 
soundly  while  their  leader  watched.  Soon  after  the  moon 
went  down,  the  sleepers  were  wakened  and  the  march 
began.  A  force  of  artillery  and  cavalry  led  the  way,  fol 
lowed  by  Turchin's  brigade.  A  company  of  workmen, 
well  guarded  and  supplied  with  the  necessary  tools,  were 
sent  to  tear  up  the  railway  at  either  end  of  Huntsville.  They 
all  moved  very  quietly  as  they  neared  the  slumbering  town ; 
and  the  last  order  given  was,  "  Now,  boys,  perfect  silence  ! 
Straight  forward,  and  let  not  the  enemy  know  that  you  are 
coming  by  any  sound  whatever."  It  must  have  been  very 
startling  in  those  times  to  be  wakened  by  the  tramp  of  horses' 
feet  in  the  quiet  streets.  And  it  would  be  hard  to  imagine 


310      Yon  tig  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1862. 

more  terrified  people  than  were  the  inhabitants  of  Hunts- 
ville  when  they  found  out  that  the  dreaded  and  detested 
Yankees  had  taken  forcible  possession  of  town,  telegraph, 
and  railway.  "  Seventeen  locomotives  and  more  than  one 
hundred  passenger-cars  "  were  taken,  besides  prisoners  and 
all  kinds  of  supplies.  This  movement  secured  the  posses 
sion  of  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railway  as  far  west 
ward  as  Tuscumbia. 

General  Mitchel  received  the  rank  of  Major-General  of 
Volunteers  for  his  brilliant  exploit.  He  entered  the  mili 
tary  academy,  at  West  Point,  a  poor  boy,  where  he  was  a 
classmate  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  He  was  graduated 
with  honor,  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  he  had 
become  a  famous  astronomer.  Some  of  you  may  already  be 
acquainted  with  text-books  upon  that  science  which  came 
from  his  pen.  General  Mitchel  re-entered  the  army  in  the 
summer  of  1861. 

As  will  be  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  map,  it  became  necessary 
to  cut  the  railway  between  Chattanooga  and  Atlanta,  Georgia, 
to  prevent  re-enforcements  and  supplies  from  being  sent  to 
Chattanooga.  .To  accomplish  this  difficult  task,  a  secret 
expedition  was  sent  out.  Disguised  as  Confederates,  twenty- 
two  "  picked  men,"  led  by  J.  J.  Andrews,  started  on  foot  for 
Georgia.  Of  course  they  had  to  go  through  the  Confederate 
lines,  and  over  very  rough  mountain  roads,  braving  dangers 
seen  and  unseen.  Nor  did  they  go  in  company,  which  would 
have  excited  curiosity,  and  led  to  detection,  but  in  squads 
of  three  or  four.  On  the  yth  of  April  they  were  all  together 
at  Chattanooga,  and  the  same  night  they  slept  at  Marietta. 

On  that  day  Mitchel  had  captured  Huntsville.  The  next 
day,  while  the  engineer  and  conductor  of  the  northward- 
bound  train  were  breakfasting  at  Big  Shanty,  eight  miles 
north  of  Marietta,  the  band  of  raiders  quietly  uncoupled  the 
engine  and  three  baggage-cars  ;  and  away  they  went,  "  over 


i862.]         The  Stuff  that  Heroes  arc  made  of.          313 

hill  and  down  dale,"  toward  Chattanooga.  Nobody  tried  to 
stop  them.  They  gave  station-keepers  to  understand  that 
it  was  a  powder- train. 

As  often  as  they  dared  to  stop  long  enough,  they  cut  the 
telegraph,  and  tore  up  the  track  behind  them.  They  had 
already  passed  several  trains  ;  and  at  last  Andrews  said,  "  Only 
one  more  train  to  pass,  boys,  and  then  we  will  put  our  engine 
to  full  speed,  burn  the  bridges  after  us,  and  dash  through 
Chattanooga,  and  on  to  Mitchel  in  Huntsville."  They  were 
just  about  to  take  up  a  rail  when  they  were  startled  by  a 
whistle  behind  them.  They  had  passed  the  dreaded  "last 
train,"  which  had  gone  as  far  as  the  last  break  in  the  road 
behind  them,  when  its  engineer  was  told  what  had  hap 
pened.  He  instantly  reversed  his  engine,  and  started  back 
to  catch  the  runaway  train.  "  Then  occurred  one  of  the 
most  thrilling  races  on  record.  Both  engines  were  put  to 
full  speed.  Away  they  went,  to  the  amazement  of  the  inhab 
itants,  who  had  no  conception  of  the  urgency  of  the  errand 
of  both." 

The  raiders  lost  much  time  in  cutting  wires,  although  they 
delayed  their  pursuers  by  breaking  up  one  of  the  baggage- 
cars,  and  dropping  the  pieces  on  the  track.  At  last  fuel 
failed.  It  was  not  long,  therefore,  before  they  were  over 
taken,  near  Chattanooga.  Then  they  all  jumped  from  the 
train,  and  hid  in  the  thicket. 

They  were,  however,  hunted  down  by  men  and  blood 
hounds,  and  finally  caught.  Twelve  of  them  were  taken 
to  the  jail  at  Knoxville,  Tenn. ;  and  it  is  said  that  they 
were  put  in  the  iron  cages  in  which  Parson  Brownlow  and 
other  Union  men  were  so  cruelly  imprisoned.  Afterwards 
eight  of  the  number  were  hanged.  Eight  escaped,  and  six 
were  exchanged  as  prisoners  of  war,  after  a  year  of  confine 
ment.  To  each  of  these  six  was  afterwards  given  a  medal 
of  honor  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 


314      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1862. 

It  will  be  well  worth  our  while  to  pause  in  our  story  long 
enough  to  examine  the  craft  of  all  kinds  afloat  on  western 
waters.  We  have  already  seen  mortar-boats,  transports,  and 
gunboats  of  the  usual  pattern.  But  there  were  two  new 
kinds  of  ironclad  gunboats  which  began  about  this  time  to 
figure  largely  in  river  warfare.  One  was  called  a  "  turtle," 
on  account  of  its  striking  resemblance  to  the  animal  of  that 
name.  There  were  seven  of  these,  built  by  Captain  James 
D.  Eads.  They  were  named  for  river  cities,  and  entered 
the  service  of  the  government  in  December,  1861.  The 
other  kind  was  invented  by  Colonel  Charles  Ellet,  jun.,  and 
in  May  four  of  these  were  added  to  our  navy.  They  were 
called  "  rams ;  "  and,  as  the  name  suggests,  they  depended 
chiefly  upon  the  strength  of  their  blows  to  destroy  an  enemy. 
Volunteer  soldiers  and  sailors  manned  them ;  and  a  brother 
of  the  inventor,  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  W.  Ellet,  commanded 
them.  By  this  time  vessels  of  all  kinds  had  accumulated 
in  the  Federal  navy,  until  a  fine  fleet  dotted  the  rivers. 
Nor  had  the  Confederates  been  less  industrious.  Besides  the 
common  gunboat  and  ram,  they  had  a  queer-looking,  cigar- 
shaped  ironclad,  which  could  also  do  very  efficient  butting. 

Soon  after  the  surrender  of  Island  Number  Ten,  an  expe 
dition  was  undertaken  by  General  Pope  and  Commodore 
Foote,  for  the  capture  of  Fort  Pillow,  which  is  still  farther 
down  the  river.  The  fleet  had  scarcely  arrived  at  its  desti 
nation  when  Pope  was  ordered  to  Pittsburg  Landing.  As 
he  started  the  same  day,  the  attack  upon  Fort  Pillow  was 
necessarily  put  off.  Still,  Foote's  flotilla  lingered,  now  and 
then  bombarding  the  fort;  but,  owing  to  illness  resulting 
from  a  wound  received  at  Fort  Donelson,  Foote  was 
obliged  to  give  up  his  command.  On  the  gth  of  May, 
Commodore  C.  H.  Davis  succeeded  him.  The  next  day 
the  rebel  fleet  opened  the  battle.  Four  Confederate  gun 
boats  were  rendered  useless,  then  they  withdrew  within  the 


• 


i862.]         The  Stuff  tJiat  Heroes  arc  made  of.         317 

protection  of  their  own  fort.  The  Unionists  kept  up  the 
bombardment  until  the  4th  of  June.  On  that  night  the  rebels 
abandoned  Fort  Pillow  and  blew  up  their  magazines,  drop 
ping  down  the  river  to  Memphis.  After  hoisting  the  Union 
flag  over  the  deserted  fort,  the  Nationals  followed,  and  an 
chored  a  mile  and  a  half  above.  With  steam  up,  the  rebel 
gunboats  were  waiting  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
Soon  the  Little  Rebel  fired  the  first  shot,  and  then  the  fight 
became  general.  Ram  butted  against  ram,  and  mortar-boats 
dashed  their  heavy  shots  into  each  other.  Captain  Ellet's 
flotilla  bore  a  brilliant  part  in  this  action,  in  which  its  com 
mander  received  a  wound  from  the  effect  of  which  he  died 
soon  after.  The  engagement  happened  directly  in  front  of 
the  town.  The  roofs  of  houses  were  thronged  with  fright 
ened  people.  Sharp  as  was  the  battle  of  Memphis,  it  only 
lasted  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes,  and  was  over  before 
breakfast.  The  city  surrendered  on  the  morning  of  the  6th. 
At  first  the  people  were  very  fierce,  and  threatened  the 
invaders ;  but  Colonel  Fitch,  who  was  left  there  to  stand  for 
the  Government,  was  so  wise  in  his  behavior,  that  quiet  was 
soon  restored.  Two  regiments  of  Union  soldiers  occupied 
the  town,  while  the  Union  fleet  anchored  in  front  of  it. 

The  capture  of  New  Orleans  had  opened  the  Lower  Mis 
sissippi  to  the  Federals.  In  May,  Farragut  went  up  the  river 
as  far  as  Vicksburg.  On  the  way  he  took  the  towns  of  Baton 
Rouge  and  Natchez.  He  demanded  the  surrender  of  Vicks 
burg,  which  was  promptly  refused.  As  his  force  was  not 
strong  enough  to  insist  upon  the  demand,  he  returned  to 
New  Orleans.  In  June,  with  a  body  of  troops,  he  re-appeared 
before  Vicksburg,  and  began  a  bombardment,  having  run  past 
the  batteries  to  join  Davis,  whose  fleet  lay  a  few  miles  above. 
The  land-forces  in  Farragut's  expedition  were  under  General 
Thomas  Williams.  They  were  landed  on  the  Louisiana  shore, 
for  the  purpose  of  cutting  a  canal  across  the  peninsula  made 


318      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

by  a  sudden  turn  in  the  river.  It  was  to  extend  from  Milli- 
ken's  Bend  to  a  point  south  of  Vicksburg,  the  distance  of 
one  mile.  The  men  worked  with  a  will.  Every  day  the 
ditch  grew  bigger.  But  the  river  was  in  too  great  a  hurry 
to  help,  and  long  before  it  was  time,  it  burst  through  :  so 
the  work  had  to  be  given  up. 

Farragut  again  returned  to  New  Orleans,  leaving  General 
Williams  with  a  small  command  at  Baton  Rouge.  Not  long 
after,  General  Breckinridge  made  a  sharp  attack  upon  the 
town,  in  which  Williams  was  killed.  The  Confederates  failed 
to  capture  Baton  Rouge,  and  "retreated  to  Port  Hudson,  thirty 
miles  above.  The  rebel  ram  Arkansas  was  on  its  way  to  take 
part  in  the  battle,  when  one  of  its  engines  broke  down,  so 
that  it  did  not  arrive.  Hearing  of  this,  three  Union  gun 
boats  started  the  next  morning  to  find  her.  As  soon  as  they 
came  in  sight,  the  engineer  of  the  Arkansas  ran  her  ashore, 
and,  landing  his  crew,  set  her  on  fire  and  sent  her  adrift. 
She  exploded  a  few  miles  below. 

The  Mississippi  was  now  open  from  New  Orleans  to  Cairo. 
The  Federals  did  not  take  advantage  of  the  fact,  however ; 
and,  as  a  result,  the  Confederates  fortified  every  available 
point  upon  the  river  within  the  next  few  months. 

On  the  first  of  June  a  great  army  was  gathered  at  Corinth. 
Its  morale,  as  we  say  in  speaking  of  the  spirit  of  an  army, 
was  excellent,  owing  to  its  late  successes  ;  for  — 

"A  merry  heart  goes  all  the  day, 
A  sad  tires  in  a  mile." 

But  this  fine  body  of  men  did  not  long  remain  together. 
Generals  Buell  and  Thomas,  with  the  Army  of  the  Ohio, 
moved  toward  Chattanooga,  where  General  Mitchel  was  still 
holding  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railway.  After  some 
delay,  General  Grant  was  re-instated  in  the  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  General  Sherman  was  sent  to 


I'AVORITK    PLACE 


ENGAGEM  I  N  I. 


i86a.]         The  Stuff  that  Heroes  are  made  of.          321 

occupy  Memphis.  General  Pope,  at  the  head  of  the  Army 
of  the  Mississippi,  started  in  pursuit  of  Beauregard,  following 
him  as  far  as  Rienzi  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad.  But 
these  two  commanders  were  not  likely  to  meet,  as  Beauregard 
was  superseded  by  Bragg,  and  Pope  was  called  to  the  East. 
The  Army  of  the  Mississippi  was  then  given  to  Rosecrans. 
Such  was  the  situation  of  affairs  at  the  West,  when,  in  July, 
General  Halleck  took  leave  of  his  army  to  occupy  a  place 
of  far  greater  responsibility  and  importance. 

Bragg,  who  had  in  the  mean  time  continued  his  retreat, 
was  in  the  vicinity  of  Tupelo,  eighty  miles  south  of  Corinth. 
Between  him  and  Rosecrans  at  Booneville,  on  the  Mobile 
and  Ohio  Railway,  the  latter  had  placed  a  small  body  of  men 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Philip  H.  Sheridan.  It  was 
here  that  this  young  officer  won  his  "  golden  spurs."  Intent 
upon  doing  his  whole  duty,  he  determined  not  only  to  watch 
the  enemy's  movements,  and  report  them  as  he  was  instructed, 
but  to  keep  him  inside  his  own  picket-lines,  and  outside  the 
Union  picket-lines.  With  the  aid  of  a  trusty  scout  or  guide, 
Sheridan  had  made  a  capital  "  information  map  "  of  the  sur 
rounding  country,  and  learned  it  by  heart.  A  great  many 
country  roads  centred  in  Booneville.  Early  in  the  morning 
of  July  i,  Lieutenant  Scranton  sent  Sheridan  word  that  the 
enemy  had  attacked  his  picket-line  about  three  miles  and 
a  half  out  from  the  town.  He  was  ordered  to  fall  back 
slowly,  if  necessary,  until  re-enforced.  Although  assistance 
was  immediately  sent,  Scranton  was  driven  back,  fighting 
hard,  nearly  to  Booneville.  Sheridan  sent  to  the  main  army 
for  more  men,  taking  care  to  let  his  men  know  that  he  had 
done  so.  He  says,  "  I  did  not  know  whether  re-enforce 
ments  would  be  sent  or  not :  so  I  thought  that  I  would  do 
the  best  that  I  could  with  what  I  had.  I  was  heavily  pressed 
by  the  enemy ;  and  I  did  not  know  his  strength,  but  made 
up  my  mind  to  rely  upon  myself."  Sheridan's  study  of  the 


322      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1862. 

geography  of  the  country  now  served  him  in  good  stead. 
Choosing  one  company  of  the  Second  Michigan,  and  one 
of  the  Second  Iowa,  he  placed  them  in  command  of  Major 
Russell  A.  Alger,  "  to  perform  the  duty  of  a  forlorn  hope." 
He  gave  them  his  faithful  scout,  with  full  instructions,  and 
sent  them  around  to  the  left  of  the  advancing  enemy  to  attack 
him  in  his  rear.  When  a  certain  road  should  be  reached, 
Major  Alger  was  to  take  it,  and  "  charge  right  through  what 
ever  they  might  meet,"  causing  his  men  to  cheer  as  loudly  as 
if  they  outnumbered  the  enemy  ten  times.  Major  Alger  was 
then  to  report  again  at  Booneville.  If  he  found  the  enemy 
too  strong  to  charge  through,  he  was  to  go  as  far  as  possible, 
and  return  by  the  same  route.  In  the  mean  time,  Colonel 
Sheridan,  with  the  rest  of  his  command,  was  to  join  Lieu 
tenant  Scranton  at  the  front ;  and,  when  he  should  hear  the 
cheering  of  Alger's  men,  he  was  also  to  charge  the  enemy. 
But  in  case  the  cheering  was  not  heard  at  the  end  of  an 
hour,  which  was  the  time  given  for  Alger  to  strike  the  enemy, 
Sheridan  would  charge  from  the  front  without  waiting  for  any 
further  signal.  Watches  were  set,  and  the  forlorn  hope  set 
out.  The  fighting  grew  so  sharp,  that  Colonel  Sheridan  grew 
very  anxious  about  the  major  and  his  little  band.  But  we 
will  let  Sheridan  tell  his  own  story. 

"  The  hour  was  up,  but  there  was  no  cheering :  so  I  ordered  the 
charge  on  the  enemy,  which  was  my  part  of  the  arrangement.  Just 
at  that  moment  a  locomotive  and  two  platform-cars,  loaded  with  bales 
of  hay  for  the  horses  of  my  command,  came  down  the  track  from  the 
main  army  in  the  rear,  right  into  Booneville,  and  just  behind  the  line 
of  battle.  As  the  troops  knew  that  I  had  sent  back  for  re-enforce 
ments  to  help  us,  I  thought,  if  the  engineer  were  made  to  blow  his 
whistle,  it  would  give  them -encouragement :  so  I  galloped  to  him, 
and  ordered  it  to  be  sounded  loudly  and  continuously.  The  men 
heard  it,  and  believed  that  re-enforcements  had  arrived ;  and  I  have 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  enemy  thought  so  too.  I  never  heard  such 
wild  cheering  as  occurred  on  our  part.  The  enemy  broke  and  ran, 
not  only  on  the  roads,  but  all  over  the  country." 


i862.]         The  Stuff  that  Heroes  arc  made  of.          325 

Major  Alger  did  charge  at  the  very  same  moment  with 
Sheridan,  but  they  were  too  far  apart  to  hear  each  other. 
The  enemy  heard  both,  however,  and  imagined  themselves 
surrounded  by  a  large  army :  indeed,  they  estimated  it  at 
ten  thousand  in  front,  and  four  thousand  in  the  rear ;  while 
in  fact  Sheridan's  entire  command  only  numbered  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  men,  ninety  of  whom  were  given 
to  Major  Alger.  And  the  now  famous  young  colonel  mod 
estly  closes  his  account  of  his  brilliant  exploit  by  saying, 
"  The  officers  and  men  of  my  command  were  very  demon 
strative,  after  the  battle  was  over,  in  their  consideration  and 
politeness  to  me."  For  this,  Colonel  Sheridan  received  the 
thanks  of  his  commanding  general,  and  was  given  rank  of 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  by  President  Lincoln. 

While  the  two  grand  armies  were  eying  each  other  at  a 
distance,  a  guerilla  warfare  was  being  carried  on  under  the 
leadership  of  Colonel  John  W.  Morgan,  the  most  famous  of 
all  the  guerilla  chiefs. 

He  was  gay,  young,  and  handsome,  a  fearless  horseman, 
a  sure  marksman,  and,  withal,  a  rank  rebel.  It  is  related  of 
him  that  he  once  gave  an  order  to  one  of  his  men,  involv 
ing  the  greatest  danger.  The  man  did  not  obey.  "You 
understand  my  orders  ?"  asked  the  chief.  "  Yes,  captain  : 
but  I  cannot  obey  you,"  was  the  answer.  "Then  good-by," 
said  Morgan,  and  shot  him  dead.  Turning  to  his  men, 
Morgan  said,  "  Such  be  the  fate  of  every  man  disobeying 
my  orders  in  the  face  of  an  enemy." 

This  band  of  raiders  took  the  name  of  "  cavalry ;  "  but  it 
was  little  less  than  a  company  of  robbers,  who  openly  plun 
dered  and  burned  small  towns,  destroyed  railroads  and  tele 
graphs,  or  attacked  bodies  of  men  fewer  in  number  than 
themselves. 

In  July,  Morgan  entered  Kentucky,  where  his  force  was 
largely  increased  by  young  secessionists  who  flocked  to  his 


324      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

standard,  tempted,  no  doubt,  by  a  spirit  of  knight-errantry 
and  adventure.  By  a  bold  dash,  Morgan  captured  the 
town  of  Lebanon,  Ky.  He  tore  up  a  portion  of  the 
Lexington  and  Louisville  Railway,  destroyed  a  fine  bridge 
over  the  Ohio,  and  finally  marched  his  band,  now  number 
ing  two  thousand,  toward  Cincinnati.  A  cavalry  force  was 
hastily  despatched  to  meet  the  guerillas,  who  fled  before 
superior  numbers ;  but  for  a  little  while  alarm  and  excite 
ment  ran  high  in  that  goodly  town. 

In  Tennessee,  another  band  of  guerillas  was  led  by  General 
N.  B.  Forrest.  With  a  force  even  larger  than  that  of  Morgan, 
he  attacked  Murfreesboro',  and  captured  the  Union  garrison 
there,  as  well  as  their  stores. 

Bragg  and  Buell  were  now  moving  in  the  general  direction 
of  Chattanooga.  Bragg  arrived  there  first,  and  prepared  to 
advance  upon  Louisville,  the  occupation  of  that  town 
being  important  to  either  side.  General  Kirby  E.  Smith 
led  the  advance,  attacking  and  defeating  the  Nationals  near 
Richmond,  Ky.  The  records  and  valuable  papers  were 
removed  from  Frankfort,  the  capital  of  Kentucky ;  and 
a  million  of  money  was  hastily  taken  from  the  banks  of 
Richmond,  Lexington,  and  Frankfort,  to  Louisville,  for  safe 
keeping.  The  Governor  issued  a  call  to  the  people  to  rise, 
and  defend  their  homes  and  property.  Two  days  later  the 
Confederates  reached  Lexington,  from  which  all  National 
stores  had  already  been  removed.  They  moved  rapidly,  be 
cause  they  carried  little  baggage,  expecting  to  capture  booty 
of  all  kinds  on  the  way.  On  the  6th  of  September,  there 
fore,  they  occupied  Frankfort,  where  Morgan  joined  them. 
The  cities  of  Louisville  and  Cincinnati  were  now  thoroughly 
alarmed.  In  this  emergency,  General  Lewis  Wallace  offered 
to  command  a  regiment  for  the  defence  of  Cincinnati ;  which 
offer  was  promptly  accepted.  'One  regiment  was  not  enough 
to  meet  the  necessity,  however;  and  other  troops  eagerly 


NIGHT    MARCH    Ol-    CAVALRY. 


i862.]         The  Stuff  tJiat  Heroes  are  made  of.          327 

joined  the  popular  commander.  Martial  law  was  proclaimed 
in  Cincinnati  and  in  the  cities  of  Covington  and  Newport, 
opposite.  All  places  of  business  were  closed.  No  one  was 
allowed  to  enter  or  leave  the  city  without  a  pass.  Ferry 
boats  were  stopped.  In  a  few  hours  forty  thousand  volun 
teers  had  enlisted.  A  pontoon  bridge,  or  bridge  of  boats, 
was  thrown  across  the  Ohio ;  and  intrenchments  were  built 
upon  the  south  bank.  Peaceable  steamers  were  turned  into 
gunboats,  plying  on  the  river  to  protect  the  bridge.  All  this 
was  quickly  done,  but  not  a  moment  too  soon.  Hardly 
had  these  preparations  been  completed,  when  the  advance 
column  of  Confederates  appeared.  Perceiving  the  warm 
reception  intended  for  them,  they  hastily  fell  back  without 
further  demonstration. 

On  the  same  day  General  Kirby  E.'  Smith  occupied 
Frankfort.  Bragg,  with  the  main  rebel  army,  was  in  the 
mean  while  hastening  toward  Louisville.  Buell  had  sup 
posed  Bragg's  purpose  to  be  the  capture  of  Nashville  ;  but, 
seeing  his  mistake,  he  now  used  all  diligence  to  overtake 
the  enemy. 

About  this  time  a  small  Union  garrison  at  Mumfordsville 
was  attacked  by  the  Confederates.  Notwithstanding  his 
insufficient  force,  Colonel  T.  J.  Wilder,  who  was  in  command, 
refused  to  surrender.  In  the  hourly  expectation  of  re-en 
forcements,  and  trusting  to  the  pluck  of  his  command  and 
to  a  strong  stockade,  or  block  fence,  he  determined  to  hold 
out  to  the  last.  Six  companies  arrived  in  the  mean  time, 
and  a  sharp  battle  took  place.  The  rebel  bullets  made  a 
hundred  and  forty  holes  in  the  Union  flag  ;  but  still  it  floated, 
and  the  rebels  were  repulsed.  Colonel  Wilder  afterward 
said  in  praise  of  his  men,  "  If  I  were  to  give  a  list  of  those 
who  did  their  whole  duty,  it  would  simply  be  a  muster-roll 
of  all  who  were  there."  The  Confederates  waited  in  that 
neighborhood  till  Bragg's  army  came  up,  when  another 


328     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

attempt  was  made  to  induce  the  garrison  to  yield,  with  the 
same  result.  At  length,  knowing  the  great  strength  of  the 
enemy,  and  that  nothing  but  the  timely  arrival  of  help  could 
save  them,  Colonel  Wilder  surrendered,  not,  however,  with 
out  requiring  that  he  be  allowed  to  march  his  men  out 
with  the  "  honors  of  war." 

It  was  now  October.  Bragg  had  reached  Frankfort,  where 
he  and  Kirby  Smith  played  at  inaugurating  a  "provisional" 
or  temporary  governor  of  Kentucky.  Buell  had  not  pur 
sued  and  punished  Bragg  as  it  was  thought  that  he  might 
have  done.  When  he  reached  Louisville,  therefore,  he  was 
relieved,  and  General  George  H.  Thomas  was  given  his 
command.  But  Thomas  asked  to  have  Buell  re-instated, 
not  only  because  he  was  unwilling  to  displace  his  friend,  but 
he  modestly  hesitated  to  take  the  responsibility  upon  him 
self.  Accordingly,  Buell  was  restored  once  more  ;  and  with 
largely  increased  numbers  he  turned  to  follow  the  enemy, 
who  had  begun  to  retreat.  Being  pressed  hard,  the  rebels 
made  a  stand  at  Perryville.  It  was  a  desperate  battle,  gal 
lantly  fought  on  both  sides.  The  Confederates  were  repulsed 
with  great  loss  on  both  sides.  It  was  here  that  Colonel 
Lytle  of  the  Tenth  Ohio,  while  leading  his  brigade,  was 
seriously  wounded.  He  refused  to  be  borne  from  the  field, 
saying,  "  You  can  do  some  good  yet :  I  can  do  none.  Let 
me  die  here." 

In  the  night  which  followed,  Bragg  took  up  his  line  of 
retreat  again,  leaving  behind  him  a  large  number  of  sick 
and  wounded.  The  Union  army  was  now  ordered  to  Louis 
ville.  Buell  was  promptly  relieved ;  and  the  Army  of  the 
Ohio,  hereafter  to  be  called  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
was  given  to  Rosecrans. 


i862.|  Crumbs  picked  np.  329 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

CRUMBS  PICKED   UP. 

WE  must  now  go  back  in  time  to  September,  1862. 
Grant  had  sent  every  man  whom  he  could  spare 
from  Corinth,  to  assist  Buell ;  and  the  rebels  knew  it.  He 
was  sure  that  they  would  take  advantage  of  the  fact :  so  he 
was  on  the  alert.  While  Bragg  and  Buell  had  been  playing 
at  hide-and-seek,  the  two  rebel  generals,  Price  and  Van 
Dorn,  had  gathered  a  fine  veteran  army  at  Holly  Springs, 
Miss.  It  seems  to  have  been  their  plan  for  Price  to  attack 
some  point  not  far  from  Corinth,  and,  when  Grant  should 
withdraw  his  force  to  meet  him,  Van  Dorn  was  to  rush  in, 
and  capture  the  coveted  town  and  all  that  it  contained.  The 
first  dash  \vas  made  by  Price  upon  the  little  town  of  luka, 
near  Corinth,  where  there  was  a  large  quantity  of  govern 
ment  stores.  Colonel  R.  C.  Murphy,  who  was  in  charge,  fled 
without  resistance,  leaving  the  supplies  in  the  enemy's  hands. 
General  Rosecrans  was  at  Corinth,  and  Grant  sent  him 
without  delay  to  retake  luka.  A  sharp  battle  was  fought, 
but  unluckily  Price  got  away.  Grant  and  Rosecrans  in 
stantly  set  out  in  pursuit ;  but  Price  succeeded  in  escaping, 
and  reached  Van  Dorn  in  safety.  Rosecrans'  army  returned 
from  the  pursuit  just  in  time  to  occupy  Corinth  before  Van 
Dorn,  who  was  hastening  thither.  Grant's  headquarters  were 
at  Jackson,  Tenn.,  about  fifty  miles  north  of  Corinth. 

A  line  of  fortifications  had   been   built   inside   those   of 
Beauregard,  after  Halleck  entered  Corinth.     Inside  of  that, 


330      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1862. 

Grant  now  added  another.  When  the  enemy  approached, 
the  Nationals  went  out  to  meet  h-im  when  he  was  yet  a  great 
way  off,  intending  to  resist  only  strongly  enough  to  draw  him 
within  the  range  of  the  Union  guns.  Before  night,  how 
ever,  they  were  driven  back  to  their  inner  line  of  intrench- 
ments  with  a  loss  of  two  guns.  Van  Dorn  was  jubilant,  and 
telegraphed  to  General  Lee  that  he  had  won  a  great  victory. 
The  next  day  the  enemy  was  very  confident,  though  the 
Nationals  showed  no  lack  of  courage.  The  Unionists  made 
a  stout  resistance  ;  but  the  rebels  assaulted  so  furiously  that 
they  captured  a  battery  with  all  its  guns,  and  dashed  into 
the  very  heart  of  the  town.  They  fought  in  the  streets.  It 
is  even  said  that  they  fought  in  the  yard  of  General  Rose- 
crans'  headquarters.  But,  after  all,  Van  Dorn  was  badly 
whipped ;  and,  before  the  day  was  over,  he  had  retreated, 
leaving  his  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.  It  is  a  comfort 
to  know  that  the  Confederate  soldiers  shared  the  same  kind 
nursing  with  our  own,  whenever  or  wherever  they  fell  into 
Union  hands.  The  loss  on  both  sides  at  Corinth  was 
between  eight  and  nine  thousand. 

Instead  of  instant  pursuit,  which  Grant  expected  and 
desired,  Rosecrans  delayed  until  the  next  morning.  He  then 
gave  his  troops  urgent  instructions  to  hasten,  but  it  was  too 
late.  Van  Dorn  had  used  his  utmost  speed,  and  was  well 
on  his  way  toward  Holly  Springs  again. 

General  Rosecrans  was  transferred  immediately  to  Gen 
eral  Buell's  command,  and,  not  long  after,  was  promoted  to 
Buell's  place.  He  found  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  discouraged 
and  broken.  Its  name  was  changed  to  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,  and  it  soon  became  "  a  new  creature."  In 
General  George  H.  Thomas,  Rosecrans  had  a  lieutenant,  or 
second  in  command,  who  was  a  patriot,  a  gentleman,  and  a 
soldier.  Prompt  and  cheery  himself,  Rosecrans'  army  soon 
caught  his  spirit.  He  was  beloved  by  every  man  in  his 


i862.]  Crumbs  picked  up.  331 

army,  although  his  discipline  was  very  strict.  Nothing  was 
too  unimportant  to  attract  his  notice.  One  day  during  a 
review  he  saw  that  a  soldier's  knapsack  was  strapped  in 
a  slovenly  way.  "Captain,"  said  he,  "I  am  sorry  that  you 
don't  know  how  to  strap  a  knapsack  on  a  soldier's  back."  — 
"  I  did  not  do  it,  general,"  the  captain  replied.  "  Oh  !  you 
didn't,"  returned  Rosecrans.  "  Well,  hereafter  you  had 
better  do  it,  or  see  that  it  is  done."  -—  "  But  if  I  can't  make 
them  attend  to  these  matters,  general?"  —"If  you  can't, 
sir,"  said  Rosecrans,  "you  had  better  leave  the  service." 

Van  Dorn  was  superseded  by  Lieutenant-General  John 
C.  Pemberton.  After  Corinth,  Grant  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  Department  of  the  Tennessee,  embracing 
Cairo,  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  the  portions  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee  north  of  the  Tennessee  River,  and  Northern 
Mississippi. 

You  remember,  that,  soon  after  the  fall  of  Bowling  Green, 
Nashville  was  surprised  and  occupied  by  Federal  troops. 
Naturally  the  garrison  left  for  its  defence  was  small,  and  in 
such  a  disloyal  neighborhood  it  suffered  much  at  the  hands 
of  raiders.  In  July,  1862,  Forrest  had  captured  Murfrees- 
boro'  with  all  its  valuable  stores.  Bragg  had  left  Chatta 
nooga  in  October,  and  marched  toward  Nashville.  Rosecrans 
hastened  forward  to  re-enforce  Major-General  James  S. 
Negley,  who  had  been  left  in  command  there.  But  Bragg 
only  went  as  far  as  Murfreesboro',  where  he  took  up 
winter-quarters,  believing  that  Rosecrans  had  made  himself 
comfortable  in  the  same  manner  at  Nashville.  There  was  a 
notable  assembly  of  celebrities  in  Murfreesboro'  at  this 
time.  It  was  a  gay  winter  at  the  Confederate  headquarters. 
Parties  and  balls  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession. 
President  Davis  and  the  courtly  General  John  C.  Breck- 
enridge  were  among  the  distinguished  guests  at  the  mar 
riage  of  General  John  H.  Morgan,  the  guerilla  chief,  to  the 


332      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

daughter  of  an  ex-congressman,  Mr.  Charles  Ready.  The 
soldier-bishop,  General  Polk,  performed  the  ceremony.  The 
bridal  party  danced  upon  a  carpet  made  of  Union  flags,  to 
show  how  they  despised  the  National  banner.  Although 


"  KEEP    OUT    OF    THE    DRAFT." 

Bragg  did  not  expect  an  attack,  he  was  too  good  a  soldier 
to  be  unprepared  for  one.  When,  therefore,  he  heard  that 
Rosecrans  was  advancing,  he  chose  his  own  battle-field. 

Near  Murfreesboro',  between  it  and  the  approaching 
army,  flowed  the  Stone  River.  It  was  very  low :  still  with 
its  wooded  banks,  it  was  a  sort  of  defence.  The  enemy 


i86z.]  Crumbs  picked  up.  333 

encamped  on  the  north  side  of  Stone  River,  on  the  night  of 
Dec.  30,  while  the  Union  army  stretched  itself  in  a  long  line 
on  the  opposite  bank.  The  two  armies  were  so  near  that 
each  could  see  the  other's  camp-fires.  Rosecrans'  force  did 
not  exceed  forty-three  thousand.  Bragg's  army  was  about 
fifty-one  thousand  strong ;  but  Morgan  and  Forrest  were  off 
on  their  raids  at  this  time,  reducing  the  rebel  army  on  the 
field  to  forty-six  thousand  six  hundred.  The  Rebels  were 
always  stronger  in  cavalry  than  the  Nationals.  Very  early 
on  Wednesday  morning,  the  3ist,  both  armies  were  astir. 
Rosecrans  expected  to  make  the  attack  in  his  own  good 
time,  and  was  therefore  unprepared  for  a  surprise.  While 
some  of  his  horses  had  been  unhitched  from  the  gun-car 
riages,  and  led  down  to  the  water  to  drink,  Bragg  made  a 
rush  through  the  fog,  with  the  fury  of  a  tornado,  upon  the 
Union  centre.  Rosecrans'  plan  had  been  to  swing  his 
troops  around  upon  the  enemy,  as  a  gate  swings  upon  its 
hinges ;  General  A.  D.  McCook  on  the  right,  being  the 
hinge  which  should  stand  firmly,  and  hold  the  gate. 

But  the  sudden  attack  had  struck  McCook,  and  broken 
the  hinge,  throwing  the  right  wing  into  confusion.  General 
Sheridan  rallied  his  division  again,  however,  and  manfully 
withstood  a  second  shock  against  three  to  one,  only  falling 
back  when  every  gun  and  cartridge-box  was  empty.  As  he 
passed  Rosecrans,  with  less  than  three-fourths  of  his  division, 
in  falling  back,  Sheridan  said,  "  Here's  all  that's  left  of  us, 
General."  Defeat  now  seemed  certain.  At  this  stage  of  the 
battle  every  thing  depended  upon  General  Thomas,  who 
held  the  centre.  One  regiment  of  regulars  in  his  command 
lost  five  hundred  and  thirty  men,  yet  never  wavered.  Cruft's 
brigade  especially  distinguished  itself  for  bravery,  but  even 
it  was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  At  length  General  W.  B. 
Hazen's  brigade  was  ordered  to  meet  and  hold  the  enemy. 
It  was  nobly  done.  On  the  spot  where  that  band  so 


334      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1863. 

valiantly  stood  alone,  stands  a  monument  built  by  Hazen's 
brigade  after  the  battle.  On  one  side  it  bears  this  inscrip 
tion  :  "  Hazen's  Brigade,  to  the  Memory  of  its  Soldiers  who 
fell  at  Stone  River,  Dec.  31,  1862.  Their  faces  toward 
heaven;  their  feet  toward  the  foe." 

In  the  mean  time  Rosecrans  got  his  troops  into  line  again, 
and  held  the  ground.  At  night  the  rebels  withdrew  to  wait 
for  the  morning.  Every  man  had  done  his  best.  The  first 
day  of  the  new  year  of  1863  was  quietly  spent  in  position, 
each  uncertain  what  the  other  meant  to  do.  The  doubt 
was  settled  on  the  following  morning  by  a  fire  from  four  of 
the  enemy's  batteries.  The  second  day's  battle  was  but 
a  repetition  of  the  first.  The  fighting  was  especially  hot  in 
the  cedar  thicket.  A  pretty  story  of  this  part  of  the  battle 
is  told  by  Mr.  Champlin,  which  it  may  not  be  a  liberty  to 
repeat.  "  While  the  fight  was  raging  in  the  cedar  thickets, 
the  birds  and  small  animals  that  lived  among  them  were 
nearly  paralyzed  with  fright.  Wild  turkeys  ran  between  the 
lines,  and  tried  to  hide  among  the  men,  and  many  hopped 
on  the  ground  like  toads,  apparently  as  tame  as  household 
pets.  Some  even  sought  protection  from  the  men  who  were 
lying  down  to  escape  the  cannon-shot,  nestling  under  their 
coats,  and  creeping  among  their  legs,  as  if  seeking  a  place 
of  safety.  Flocks  of  little  birds,  too,  fluttered  and  circled 
about  the  field  over  the  combatants  in  a  state  of  bewilder 
ment,  as  if  not  knowing  which  way  to  fly." 

The  soldiers  were  very  fond  of  their  commander,  and 
affectionately  called  him  "  Old  Rosey."  He  was  always  in 
the  thickest  of  the  battle,  directing  and  encouraging  his  men 
without  a  thought  of  fear.  A  piece  of  shell  struck  within  a 
few  inches  of  his  head,  instantly  killing  his  beloved  chief-of- 
staff,  Garesche"  ;  yet  the  stout-hearted  soldier  never  flinched. 

A  division  had  been  ordered  across  the  river,  the  day 
before,  with  the  idea  of  getting  between  Bragg  and  Mur- 


1863.]  Crumbs  picked  up.  335 

freesboro'.  Now  Breckenridge's  whole  force  swept  down 
upon  it,  driving  it  across  the  river.  Other  Union  troops 
pressed  forward.  The  fighting  was  furious.  One  charge 
more,  and  the  rebels  fled,  pursued  almost  into  the  town. 
During  the  pursuit,  Cruft's  brigade  of  Palmer's  division 
suddenly  found  itself  under  the  guns  of  an  unseen  battery. 
The  order  to  lie  down  was  given,  and  instantly  obeyed.  Still 
the  shot  poured  over  them  ,and  beyond.  While  they  were 
lying  close  to  the  muddy  ground,  a  shell  fell  between  two 
men,  so  near  to  both  as  to  stun  them.  One  of  their  com 
rades  dug  up  a  handful  of  soft  mud,  held  it  over  the  smoking 
shell,  and  said  quietly,  "Ten  to  one,  boys,  that  she  don't 
bust."  And  then  he  daubed  the  mud  over  the  hot  shell. 
The  terrible  bomb  grew  cool ;  and  George  Hunt,  private  in 
Company  C,  First  Kentucky,  was  a  hero. 

The  next  day  rain  fell  heavily.  After  some  demonstrations 
on  the  Federal  side,  which  were  not  returned  with  much 
spirit,  both  armies  were  silent.  But  that  night,  Jan.  3,  Bragg 
noiselessly  withdrew  his  troops  from  Murfreesboro',  and 
retreated  to  Tullahoma,  behind  the  Duck  River.  Not  even 
the  Union  pickets  knew  of  his  retreat  until  the  morning. 
The  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides  amounted  to 
more  than  eighteen  thousand.  Bragg  had  left  hi.;  wounded 
behind  him.  It  was  Sunday ;  and  Rosecrans,  who  was  a 
devout  Roman  Catholic,  had  high  mass  celebrated  in  his 
tent  for  the  victory.  The  President,  ever  thoughtful,  ever 
kind,  sent  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  and  its  general  this 
despatch  :  "  God  bless  you,  and  all  of  you  !  Please  tender 
to  all,  and  accept  for  yourself,  the  nation's  gratitude  for  your 
skill,  endurance,  and  dauntless  courage." 

Rosecrans  now  took  up  winter-quarters  in  Murfreesboro'. 
Several  expeditions  were  made  by  detachments  of  the  army, 
but  no  general  movement  took  place  until  the  latter  part 
of  June.  Meantime  the  Confederates  made  an  attempt  to 


336      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

retake  Fort  Donelson  •  but,  thanks  to  the  skill  of  Colonel 
A.  C.  Harding  and  the  courage  of  his  six  hundred  men, 
the  rebels  were  repulsed.  A  little  girl  near  Fort  Donelson 
had  watched  the  troops  passing  and  repassing,  carrying  the 
National  colors.  One  day  after  a  shower,  she  saw  a  rainbow 
in  the  sky.  "Mamma,"  she  asked,  "is  God  a  Union  man?" 
—  "Why  do  you  ask?  "  the  mother  answered.  "Because," 
answered  the  child,  "  I  see  his  colors  in  the  sky." 

In  April,  Van  Dorn  made  an  attack  upon  General  Gordon 
Granger  at  an  unfinished  Union  fort  in  Franklin,  Tenn.  Van 
Dorn  was  repulsed  with  considerable  loss,  and  driven  to 
Spring  Hill,  from  which  place,  also,  he  was  compelled  to 
retire,  a  few  days  later.  This  was  Van  Dorn's  last  battle. 
He  was  killed  in  his  tent  soon  after,  by  a  man  with  whom  he 
had  a  private  quarrel. 

Early  in  April,  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight  undertook  an  expe 
dition  similar  to  that  of  Colonel  Grierson,  of  which  we  shall 
speak  hereafter.  With  a  force  of  eighteen  hundred  men  he 
set  out  to  go  around  the  Confederate  army,  but  was  caught, 
and  with  his  command  was  sent  to  Libby  Prison,  not,  how 
ever,  till  he  had  done  much  damage  to  rebel  property. 

The  last  of  the  same  month  the  Union  General  J.  J.  Rey 
nolds  captured  McMinnville  with  one  hundred  and  eighty 
Confederate  prisoners  and  a  large  quantity  of  stores.  About 
the  same  time,  too,  Morgan's  cavalry  was  routed  by  General 
D.  S.  Stanley. 

In  June,  General  James  A.  Garfield,  afterward  President 
of  the  United  States,  who  had  become  General  Rosecrans' 
chief-of-staff,  urged,  as  strongly  as  became  a  subordinate 
officer,  an  immediate  advance  upon  the  enemy.  Leaving 
the  question  to  be  settled  by  the  commanders  and  their 
chief,  we  will  return  to  General  Curtis,  whom  we  left  hasten 
ing  toward  the  Mississippi  after  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge. 
The  rapid  and  difficult  march  to  Helena.  Ark.,  will  be  well 


1863. j  Crumbs  picked  up.  337 

remembered.  Curtis's  army  had  been  reduced  in  size  in 
order  to  re-enforce  Halleck  before  Corinth.  Missouri  was 
then  pretty  nearly  at  the  mercy  of  the  rebels.  General  J.  M. 
Schofield,  who  had  been  commander  of  the  militia  in  that 
State,  got  permission  to  call  out  all  the  State  troops,  and  soon 
the  Union  force  for  defence  was  increased  by  ten  thousand. 
Schofield's  command  was  called  the  "  Army  of  the  Fron 
tier."  A  series  of  battles  and  raids  was  kept  up  in  Mis 
souri  from  July  to  December;  among  them  were  those 
of  Boston  Mountain  and  Prairie  Grove,  in  both  of  which 
Schofield  was  victorious.  In  September,  General  Curtis  was 
called  to  the  Department  of  Missouri.  This  was  in  1862, 
for  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  a  little  in  order  to  keep  the 
threads  of  our  story  well  in  hand.  A  noted  desperado  named 
Quantrell  figured  very  largely  at  that  time  in  the  raids  in 
Missouri  and  Kansas.  In  August,  1863,  he  surrounded  the 
town  of  Lawrence,  Kan.,  and  shot  all  who  tried  to  leave  it. 
Houses  were  plundered  and  fired.  Citizens  were  murdered 
in  cold  blood.  Scarcely  one  family  escaped.  It  seemed  as 
if  no  crime  were  dark  enough  to  satisfy  Quantrell's  cruelty. 
A  traveller  met  a  tumble-down  wagon  a  few  days  after  the 
attack  on  Lawrence,  crowded  with  a  family  trying  to  escape. 
On  one  side  a  dirty,  barefoot  child  was  running.  "  Where 
do  you  live,  my  little  fellow?  "  asked  the  stranger.  "  I  don't 
live  anywhere,  only  in  a  wagon,"  was  his  pathetic  reply. 

Up  to  the  spring  of  1863  a  draft  had  been  unnecessary. 
Perhaps  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  and  the  propect 
of  using  colored  troops,  had  helped  to  dampen  enthusiasm. 
Perhaps  so  many  lost  battles  had  made  the  Union  army 
unpopular.  Whatever  the  reason  might  have  been,  Congress 
then  ordered  the  draft  to  be  made.  All  able-bodied  men 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five  were  enrolled. 
From  this  list,  three  hundred  thousand  must  be  chosen  by 
lot  to  fill  up  the  thinned  ranks  of  the  army.  The  way  in 


338      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

which  drafting  was  done  was  very  fair  and  simple.  All  the 
names  were  written  on  separate  slips  of  paper,  and  put  into 
a  round  tin  box,  which  was  turned  by  a  crank.  It  looked 
like  the  wheel  of  a  squirrel's  cage.  A  door  was  made  in 
the  wheel ;  and,  after  the  names  were  well  mixed,  it  was 
opened,  and  a  man,  blindfolded,  put  his  hand  into  the  hole, 
and  took  out  a  name.  The  slip  was  read  aloud  by  an  offi 
cer,  and  a  clerk  wrote  it  in  a  book.  It  was  always  done  in 
the  presence  of  witnesses,  so  that  no  one  could  be  accused 
of  cheating.  Any  one  could  be  excused  from  serving  in  the 
army  by  the  payment  of  three  hundred  dollars,  or  by  secur 
ing  a  "  substitute."  Among  the  poor  or  laboring  classes, 
especially  among  the  Irish,  there  was  bitter  complaint  of  un 
fairness  in  this  provision  of  the  draft.  But,  after  all,  if  they 
enjoyed  the  blessings  of  a  free  country,  why  should  they  not 
be  willing  to  defend  it  ?  Really,  jealousy  of  the  negro  seemed 
to  be  at  the  bottom  of  the  trouble.  In  New- York  City,  terri 
ble  riots  were  the  result  of  the  draft.  Colored  people  were 
the  especial  objects  of  cruelty.  Even  an  orphan  asylum  for- 
colored  children  was  burned,  and  negroes  were  robbed  and 
killed.  The  reign  of  terror  lasted  four  days.  Other  cities 
suffered,  but  in  a  less  degree.  The  whole  country  was 
stirred  up  against  the  draft.  Only  one-sixth  of  the  required 
number  really  entered  the  army,  the  rest  preferring  to  pay 
the  three  hundred  dollars.  Sometimes,  when  a  rich  man 
was  drafted,  much  more  was  paid.  The  sum  above  the  fixed 
amount  was  called  "  bounty."  Many  touching  incidents  are 
told,  where  a  brother  or  friend  took  the  place  of  another, 
with  no  pay  but  love.  Such  men  were  heroes,  though  they 
might  never  see  a  battle-field. 


1863.]  Defeat  and   Victory.  341 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

DEFEAT     AND    VICTORY. 

WE  left  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  mud  bound  at  Fal- 
mouth,  opposite  Fredericksburg.  An  attempt  to 
cross  the  Rappahannock  had  been  made  and  given  up. 
As  the  result  of  inactivity  the  whole  army  had  grown  dis 
satisfied,  and  desertions  became  frequent.  At  length  some 
of  Burnside's  best  generals  complained  to  the  President 
about  their  chief,  saying,  that,  with  him  for  their  leader,  a 
forward  movement  could  never  be  successful.  No  matter  to 
whom  the  loss  of  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  might  belong, 
Burnside  nobly  took  all  the  blame  upon  himself.  But 
he  also  went  to  the  President  with  his  troubles.  He  had 
never  desired  his  present  position,  and  he  now  felt  that 
he  was  unfairly  treated.  He  therefore  asked  to  have  the 
discontented  officers  dismissed.  Instead  of  that,  however, 
Mr.  Lincoln  advised  Burnside  himself  to  ask  to  be  relieved. 
After  some  delay,  Burnside  reluctantly  agreed  to  this  ar 
rangement,  and  he  was  appointed  to  command  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Ohio.  Major-General  J.  E.  Hooker  succeeded 
him  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Franklin  was  relieved 
from  duty.  Sumner,  at  his  own  request,  was  transferred  to 
the  Department  of  the  Missouri ;  but  he  never  reached  his 
new  command.  In  the  interval  between  his  removal  and 
his  re-appointment  he  died  at  his  own  home  in  Syracuse, 
N.Y.  Gentle,  brave,  and  loyal,  he  was  beloved  by  officers 
and  men.  He  went  into  battle  with  boyish  enthusiasm. 


342      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

Removing  his  false  teeth,  and  placing  them  carefully  in  his 
pocket,  raising  his  spectacles  to  his  forehead,  he  would  dash 
into  the  fight  with  his  white  hair  streaming  in  the  wind, 
shouting,  "  Steady,  men,  steady  !  Don't  be  excited.  When 
you  have  been  soldiers  as  long  as  I,  you  will  learn  that  this 
is  nothing.  Stand  firm,  and  do  your  duty  !  " 


FREDERICKSBURG. 

That  winter  the  soldiers  made  funny  little  huts  for  them 
selves  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  which  looked  like  colonies 
of  mammoth  ant-hills.  The  Nationals  now  numbered  a  hun 
dred  and  thirteen  thousand  men  fit  for  duty.  Hooker  soon 
became  very  popular.  His  discipline  was  excellent.  In  the 
re-organization  of  his  army  he  made  the  cavalry  force  much 
more  useful  by  gathering  it  into  one  corps,  instead  of  scat- 


1863.]  Defeat  and  Victory.  343 

tering  it  through  different  divisions.  A  system  was  adopted 
by  which  a  man's  corps  and  division  could  instantly  be  rec 
ognized  by  the  badge  upon  his  cap.  That  worn  by  the  First 
Corps  was  round,  or  disk-shaped ;  that  of  the  Second  was 
a  clover-leaf,  or  trefoil ;  the  Third  was  a  diamond ;  Fifth,  a 
Maltese  cross  ;  Sixth,  a  plain  cross  ;  Eleventh,  a  new  moon, 
or  crescent ;  and  Twelfth,  a  star.  Each  corps  had  three 
divisions.  The  color  of  the  badge  of  the  first  division  of 
every  corps  was  red ;  of  the  second,  white ;  and  of  the 
third,  blue,  —  patriotic  colors,  made  to  serve  a  patriotic 
cause.  The  headquarters  of  each  division  was  known  by  a 
square  flag  bearing  its  badge.  The  army  was  divided  into 
seven  corps,  instead  of  three,  under  the  command  of 
Reynolds,  Couch,  Sickles,  Meade,  Sedgvvick,  Howard,  and 
Slocum. 

Just  before  Hooker  began  his  movement  upon  Lee,  which 
had  been  so  long  expected,  he  received  a  visit  from  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  with  several  members  of  the  cabinet.  It  was 
early  in  April.  In  honor  of  his  son  Tad's  tenth  birthday 
the»good  President  had  promised  to  take  him  down  to  see 
the  soldiers,  of  whom  both  father  and  boy  were  so  fond. 
Business  prevented  Mr.  Lincoln  from  going  at  that  time,  but 
at  last  the  day  came  when  they  really  saw  their  wish  gratified. 
It  was  a  great  event  to  the  army.  Officers  and  men  joyfully 
prepared  to  receive  their  guests.  The  First  Army  Corps, 
twenty-two  thousand  strong,  stood  in  line  for  three  hours 
in  the  broiling  sun,  ready  to  be  reviewed  by  the  President. 
At  length  the  carriages  came  in  sight,  escorted  by  a  body 
of  cavalry.  But  Master  Tad  was  not  going  to  be  cooped  up 
in  a  carriage  —  not  he  !  With  a  boy  about  his  own  size  for 
an  orderly,  wearing  a  cavalry  uniform,  both  mounted  upon 
ponies,  the  lads  dashed  ahead  of  the  sober  company.  Tad, 
who  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  soldiers,  cried  with  all  his 
might,  "  Make  way,  men  ;  make  way,  men  !  Father's  a-com- 


344      young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

ing;  Father's  a-coming !  "  Then  the  guns  thundered  forth 
a  loud  welcome,  and  all  the  bands  played  "  Hail  to  the 
Chief;  "  while  all  the  flags  dipped,  to  salute  the  presidential 
party. 

The  men  fell  in  quickly,  and  proudly  passed  in  grand 
review.  This  was  repeated  every  day.  It  was  a  glorious 
five-days  vacation  for  Tad,  whose  little  gray  riding-cloak 
"  flew  like  a  flag  or  a  banneret "  from  morning  till  night. 

A  few  days  later  and  the  army  was  astir,  making  ready  to 
advance  upon  Lee.  Stoneman  with  his  fine  cavalry  was  to 
cross  the  Rappahannock  at  some  distance  above  Fredericks- 
burg,  and,  riding  to  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  cut  his  communi 
cation  with  Richmond ;  then,  while  Sedgwick  should  cross 
a  few  miles  below,  and  make  a  feint  upon  Fredericksburg, 
Hooker  with  his  main  army  would  cross  the  Rappahannock 
and  the  Rapidan,  and  surprise  Lee.  Rainy  weather  delayed 
Stoneman,  so  that  he  could  not  carry  out  his  part  of  the  pro 
gramme  ;  but  the  main  army  was  safely  over,  and  in  position 
at  Chancellorsville,  eighteen  miles  above  Fredericlcsburg,  be 
fore  the  movement  was  suspected.  Chancellorsville  was  pot 
a  town,  but  simply  a  large  T-shaped  brick  house  owned  by  a 
Virginian  named  Chancellor.  The  country  about  is  a  dense 
thicket,  and  is  usually  called  the  "Wilderness."  General  Lee 
was  now  between  Sedgwick  on  the  south,  and  Hooker  on  the 
north.  But  he  had  no  idea  of  letting  Sedgwick  chase  him 
pell-mell  into  Hooker's  arms.  To  meet  the  emergency,  Lee 
advanced  toward  Chancellorsville  with  his  main  army, 
including  Stonewall  Jackson's  corps,  leaving  Farly  to  hold 
the  heights  of  Fredericksburg  against  Sedgwick.  General 
Pleasanton  captured  a  rebel  despatch,  showing  that  on  the 
3Oth  of  April  Lee  was  still  in  Fredericksburg,  uncertain  which 
way  Hooker's  attack  was  to  come  from.  If,  then,  Hooker, 
who  was  already  at  Chancellorsville,  had  "  made  haste,  and 
staid  not,"  all  might  have  been  well.  Instead  of  advan- 


i863.]  Defeat  and   Victory.  345 

cing,  he  waited  all  night,  and  till  nearly  noon  of  the  next  day, 
while  Lee  spent  every  hour  of  that  precious  time  in  fortify 
ing  the  lines  which  Hooker  wished  to  occupy.  On  Friday, 
May  i,  Hooker  moved  out  to  attack  Lee.  The  armies 
were  nearly  hidden  from  each  other  by  the  thick  under 
growth.  A  battle  took  place,  in  which  the  rebels  were  not 
victorious,  even  if  they  were  not  defeated.  Hooker  with 
drew,  and  occupied  about  the  same  position  as  on  the  day 
before.  On  Saturday  morning,  May  2,  Lee  sent  Stonewall 
Jackson  upon  one  of  the  flank  movements  for  which  he  was 
so  famous.  \Yhen  his  column  was  seen  marching  toward 
the  south,  it  was  supposed  that  Jackson  was  retreating  to 
Richmond.  Lee,  in  the  mean  time,  opened  a  cannonade 
upon  Hooker's  front.  Jackson  was  really  making  a  circuit 
of  fifteen  rtiiles  around  the  Union  army  to  strike  its  flank. 
A  little  before  sunset,  with  wild  yells,  at  a  double-quick, 
Jackson's  advance  dashed  upon  Howard's  corps  on  the 
Union  right,  with  such  fury  that  they  drove  even  the  fright 
ened  animals  of  the  wood  before  them.  The  startled  and 
surprised  Union  troops  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  fled  like  deer. 
Vainly  did  General  Howard  try  to  restore  order  and  rally 
his  men.  As  they  ran,  others  joined  them,  till  it  seemed  as 
if  the  whole  army  had  been  put  to  flight.  General  Berry, 
who  had  never  failed  Hooker  in  the  hour  of  danger,  now 
formed  his  division  across  a  plank-road,  and  held  it.  Gen 
eral  Pleasanton  ordered  Major  Peter  Keenan,  with  his 
Eighth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  to  charge  upon  the  on-coming 
column.  Both  general  and  officer  knew  very  well  that 
almost  certain  death  lay  in  the  execution  of  that  order,  yet, 
with  a  smile  on  his  lip,  the  gallant,  generous  major  said  firmly, 
"  I  will  do  it,  General,"  and,  with  his  little  band  of  four 
hundred  men,  he  charged  an  army  of  ten  thousand.  A 
few  moments  of  precious  time  were  gained,  but  Keenan 
never  came  back.  Like  Curtius  of  old,  he  had  given  his  life 


346      Young  Folks    History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

to  save  his  country.  Pleasanton  took  advantage  of  this 
momentary  check  to  get  some  guns  to  bear  upon  the  ad 
vancing  column.  Just  then  a  Union  flag  was  displayed  by 
a  cloud  of  troops  that  swarmed  within  a  few  yards  of  his 
batteries  ;  and  a  voice  cried,  "  Come  on,  we  are  friends  !  " 
The  next  moment  the  rebels,  who  had  stooped  to  this  de 
ception,  charged  upon  the  Federals  with  the  fury  of  wild 
men.  It  was  now  nine  in  the  evening,  and  Jackson's  troops 
fell  into  confusion.  So  he  halted  them  on  the  edge  of  a 
wood,  while  he  himself,  with  a  small  escort,  rode  out  to 
reconnoitre.  As  he  returned,  his  own  men  mistook  him  for 
an  enemy,  and  fired  upon  him,  inflicting  three  wounds,  and 
killing  several  of  his  staff.  At  that  moment  the  Union  guns 
opened  a  hot  fire  on  the  road.  One  of  Jackson's  litter 
bearers  was  killed,  and  General  A.  P.  Hill  was  wounded. 
As  soon  as  General  Jackson  could  be  borne  to  the  rear,  his 
left  arm  was  amputated.  He  was  then  taken  to  a  hospital, 
where  he  was  kindly  cared  for.  He  died,  however,  from 
the  effect  of  his  wounds  on  Sunday,  May  10.  In  his  last 
moments  his  mind  wandered ;  and  he  cried,  "  Order  Hill  to 
prepare  for  battle  —  pass  the  infantry  to  the  front  —  tell"  — 
then  the  scene  changed,  and  the  battle-fire  died  out  of  his 
eyes,  and  saying  softly,  "  Let  us  cross  over  the  river,  and 
rest  under  the  shade  of  the  trees,"  he  fell  asleep. 

General  Thomas  J.  Jackson  was  at  the  same  time  an 
undaunted  soldier  and  a  gentle  Christian.  From  general  to 
drummer-boy,  his  command  revered  and  loved  him.  All 
bore  testimony  to  his  earnest  piety.  It  used  to  be  said  that 
his  negro-boy  knew  when  there  was  going  to  be  a  battle  by 
the  time  his  master  spent  in  prayer.  "  Gwine  to  be  a  fight, 
sartin,"  he  said  one  morning.  "  Massa's  been  a-prayin'  all 
night."  It  is  also  said  that  when  Jackson  ordered  a  charge, 
he  always  offered  up  the  prayer,  "  And  God  have  mercy  on 
their  souls  ! "  Jackson  shared  his  soldiers'  hardships,  and 


1863.]  Defeat  and   Victory.  349 

pitied  their  misfortunes.  Lee  had  lost  the  best  general  in 
the  Confederate  army. 

The  next  morning,  Sunday  (May  3),  General  J.  E.  B. 
Stuart,  at  Jackson's  request,  took  command  of  his  army. 
As  he  opened  the  attack  upon  Sickles,  the  men  rushed  to 
the  charge,  crying,  "  Remember  Jackson  !  "  As  on  the  day 
before,  Lee  assaulted  on  the  front.  Hooker  was  stunned 
early  in  the  morning,  by  the  shock  of  a  cannon-ball  against  a 
pillar  of  the  Chancellor  House,  upon  which  he  was  leaning. 
For  two  hours  he  was  unconscious.  Much  of  that  time  the 
Union  army  had  to  take  care  of  itself,  for  in  the  confusion 
nobody  assumed  command.  It  has  been  called  "  a  mad  and 
desperate  battle."  Every  general  did  his  best :  still,  Meade, 
Howard,  and  Reynolds  were  two  miles  off,  taking  no  part  in 
it,  for  lack  of  orders.  While  this  had  been  going  on,  Sedg- 
wick  had  attacked  and  carried  the  enemy's  works  at  Fred- 
ericksburg.  He  drove  Early  out,  and  put  his  own  army 
between  the  two  wings  of  the  Confederates.  He  was  but 
seven  miles  from  Chancellorsville  when  Lee,  hearing  of  his 
approach,  promptly  sent  McLaws  back  to  take  care  of  him. 
In  order  to  keep  Hooker  in  the  dark,  Lee  still  kept  up  a 
loud  firing  in  his  front.  By  Monday  evening  Sedgwick  was 
sorely  pressed  by  superior  numbers.  During  that  night  he 
escaped  across  the  Rappahannock,  by  Banks's  Ford,  with  a 
loss  of  one-fifth  of  his  command.  The  next  night,  Tuesday 
(May  5),  Hooker  also  recrossed  the  river,  and  went  into  his 
old  quarters  again.  One  more  failure  was  set  down  to  the 
account  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Yet  it  was  as  brave 
an  army  as  ever  trod  field  of  battle,  and  the  seventeen 
thousand  comrades  left  behind  them  were  as  stanch  as  they. 
Among  the  killed  was  General  Berry. 

While  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  had  been  going  on, 
Stoneman's  cavalry  had  made  a  very  telling  raid  in  the  rear 
of  Lee.  They  did  much  damage,  but  were  too  late  to  be 


35O      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

of  use.  Kilpatrick  went  even  nearer  Richmond  than  his 
superior  officer,  and  carried  off  a  Confederate  officer  and 
several  men  from  inside  the  fortifications.  "  Who  will  carry 
the  news  of  our  success  to  Hooker?"  asked  Kilpatrick, 
after  a  march  of  two  hundred  miles  into  the  enemy's  country. 
"  I  am  ready  to  go,"  answered  his  aide,  Lieutenant  Estes. 
With  ten  men  he  hastened  across  from  Gloucester  Point  to 
the  Rappahannock.  On  the  way  they  captured  a  rebel  lieu 
tenant  and  fifteen  men,  whom  they  paroled.  The  river  was 
too  high  to  cross,  so  they  could  not  go  northward.  By  this 
time  the  militia  was  out,  so  they  fled  to  the  south.  They 
met,  captured,  and  paroled  a  Confederate  major,  two  captains, 
and  three  men,  as  they  escaped  from  their  pursuers.  At  last 
they  left  their  horses,  and  took  to  the  Great  Dragon  Swamp. 
Between  the  militia  and  the  bloodhounds,  they  were  caught 
at  last.  But  in  a  day  or  two  Kilpatrick  freed  them,  and 
captured  their  guards.  These  detached  expeditions  were 
of  no  serious  damage  to  Lee  :  although  Stoneman's  entire 
force  in  one  body  might  have  injured  him  greatly ;  for 
Lee  never  carried  more  than  two  days'  rations,  and  his 
supplies  must  come  from  Richmond.  Indeed,  the  very  next 
thing  that  Lee  did  has  been  accounted  for  by  that  fact. 
The  story  is  told,  that  Lee  sent  to  his  commissary  at  Rich 
mond  for  provisions  for  his  army  while  in  camp  at  Freder- 
icksburg.  He  received  the  reply,  "  If  General  Lee  wishes 
rations,  let  him  seek  them  in  Pennsylvania."  If  the  story 
be  true,  Lee  evidently  thought  Mr.  Davis's  advice  good,  for 
he  acted  upon  it  promptly. 

Meanwhile  Longstreet  had  been  busy  in  trying  to  capture 
the  Union  garrison  at  Suffolk,  Va.,  on  the  edge  of  the  Dismal 
Swamp.  But,  thanks  to  the  energy  of  General  J.  J.  Peck, 
he  failed  in  his  attempt,  and  now  rejoined  Lee  at  Fred- 
ericksburg. 

The  first  week  in  June,  Lee  sent  the  larger  portion  of  his 


1863.]  Defeat  and   Victory.  351 

army  to  Culpeper  Court  House.  On  the  pth  Pleasanton, 
who  had  superseded  Stoneman,  was  sent  to  reconnoitre. 
He  met  Stuart  at  Brandy  Station,  and  a  fierce  cavalry  battle 
was  fought.  Stuart  claimed  the  victory ;  but  Pleasanton  had 
done  just  what  he  most  wished,  —  he  had  crippled  Stuart, 
discovered  the  enemy,  and  found  out  his  strength.  General 
W.  F.  H.  Lee,  a  son  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  was  here 
wounded,  and  taken  prisoner. 

Ewell  \vas  rapidly  advancing  down  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
to  the  north.  General  Milroy,  who  commanded  the  post 
of  Winchester,  got  the  news  from  a  captured  scout ;  but, 
before  he  could  withdraw  to  Harper's  Ferry,  the  garrisons 
from  two  weaker  posts  came  in,  who  were  too  weary  to  go 
farther.  Milroy  would  not  leave  them,  so  all  must  remain. 
Yet  all  together  could  not  withstand  Lee's  army.  There  was 
but  one  day's  rations,  and  the  ammunition  was  nearly  out. 
Ewell's  advance  fell  upon  Milroy  on  the  i5th  of  June.  After 
severe  fighting,  darkness  ended  the  unequal  struggle.  That 
night,  after  spiking  his  guns,  and  throwing  his  ammunition 
into  the  cisterns,  Milroy  and  his  men  moved  silently  out  of 
Winchester.  They  were  pursued,  and  many  were  captured  ; 
but  the  greater  number  reached  Harper's  Ferry  in  safety. 
Lee  was  now  master  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 

By  this  time  the  loyal  States  in  the  North  were  wide  awake 
to  their  danger,  and  they  began  to  cry  loudly  for  militia 
to  resist  a  second  invasion.  Mr.  Lincoln  called  for  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  men  to  meet  the  present 
crisis.  Hooker  had  already  started  in  pursuit  of  Lee.  As 
soon  as  he  broke  camp,  and  was  fairly  out  of  the  way,  the 
rebel  General  Hill  was  at  liberty  to  leave  Fredericksburg, 
and  follow  him.  Away  they  all  went.  Jenkins,  with  his  rebel 
cavalry,  led  the  way  (look  at  it  on  your  map) ,  through  Win 
chester,  Williamsport,  Chambersburg,  away  up  to  Carlisle 
in  Pennsylvania.  Do  you  wonder  that  the  citizens  of  Har- 


352      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

risburg  and  Philadelphia  trembled  ?  Jenkins  filled  them  with 
dismay.  He  freely  helped  himself  to  horses,  cattle,  any 
thing  that  he  needed  ;  but  he  paid  for  it  freely  in  worthless 
Confederate  bank-notes.  Such  money  became  quite  too 
plentiful  in  Chambersburg.  On  one  occasion  Jenkins  com 
plained  of  some  loss  which  had  befallen  him,  and  de 
manded  his  pay  from  the  city.  He  was  promptly  paid  with 
his  Confederate  money. 

Hooker,  in  the  mean  time,  had  advanced  as  far  as  Manas- 
sas;  but,  not  daring  to  leave  Washington  unprotected,  he 
could  go  no  farther  until  he  found  out  what  Lee  was  going 
to  do.  Such  a  mixed-up  affair  as  it  all  was  !  As  soon  as  the 
Confederate  army  was  withdrawn  from  before  Richmond, 
General  Dix  advanced  upon  the  rebel  Capital  from  the  direc 
tion  of  Yorktown  and  the  Chickahominy.  On  the  i5th  of 
June  the  Union  troops  were  within  fifteen  miles  of  Rich 
mond.  Its  inhabitants  suffered  the  utmost  terror,  and  wished 
to  recall  Lee  ;  but  every  able-bodied  citizen  rallied  to  the 
defence  of  the  Capital,  and  Dix  abandoned  his  position. 

Lee  had  now  penetrated  so  far  into  the  north  that  Wash 
ington  was  no  longer  in  danger,  so  Hooker  moved  forward 
also.  He  crossed  the  Potomac,  and  hastened  to  Frederick. 
Thinking  that  the  large  garrison  at  Harper's  Ferry  was  no 
longer  needed  there,  he  asked  permission  to  add  it  to  the 
main  army.  Halleck  positively  refused ;  and  Hooker,  in  a 
very  disgusted  state  of  mind,  resigned  his  command.  It 
was  promptly  accepted,  and  Major-General  George  Gordon 
Meade  succeeded  him.  No  sooner  had  Meade  the  oppor 
tunity  than  he  broke  up  the  post  of  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
ordered  its  garrison  to  the  main  army ;  but  no  notice  was 
taken  of  this  act.  All  this  time  Lee  supposed  the  Union 
army  to  be  south  of  the  Potomac.  When  he  discovered  that 
it  was  so  near,  he  turned  back,  to  make  a  stand  at  Gettysburg. 
Meade  at  the  same  time  was  on  his  way  to  the  same  place. 


i863.] 


Defeat  and   Victory. 


353 


Gettysburg  is  surrounded  by  several  lines  of  hills  or  ridges. 
Seminary  Ridge  begins  at  the  south  and  west  of  the  town, 
running  north  of  a  little  way  above  it ;  then,  trending  away 
to  the  north-east,  it  makes  a  circuit,  coming  up  on  the  east 
side  in  a  loop,  resembling  the  letter  "  P."  Cemetery  Ridge 
lies  south  of  the  town,  parallel  with  the  lower  end  of  Seminary 
Ridge,  ending  at  the  south  in  two  hills  called  Round  Top 


ONE   YOUNG    LADY    WAVED    HER    HANDKERCHIEF    AS    THEY    PASSED. 

and  Little  Round  Top.  The  upper  end  of  Cemetery  Ridge 
nearest  to  Gettysburg  is  called  Cemetery  Hill.  And  not  far 
away  to  the  east  is  Gulp's  Hill.  A  great  many  country  roads 
centre  at  Gettysburg,  a  pretty  country  town  of  three  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  place  seemed  deserted  as  the  Union  troops 
came  through.  Not  a  person  was  visible,  except  one  young 
lady,  who  waved  her  handkerchief  from  a  porch  as  they 
passed.  The  men  gave  her  three  hearty  cheers  for  the 


354      Voting  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

welcome  she  had  given  them.  Nearly  all  the  men  of  Gettys 
burg  had  run  away  at  the  first  sound  of  alarm ;  but,  when 
the  time  of  need  came,  the  women  were,  as  a  rule,  very 
kind.  John  Burns,  an  old  soldier  of  1812,  was  an  honorable 
exception  of  loyalty.  When  the  war  sounds  were  growing 
pretty  loud,  his  wife,  seeing  that  he  was  trying  to  clean  up 
his  old  gun,  asked  him  what  he  was  going  to  do.  "  Oh, 
I  didn't  know  but  the  boys  might  want  to  go  a-hunting," 
was  the  guarded  answer.  When  she  saw  him  take  it  down 
as  the  Union  army  was  passing,  she  asked,  "  Where  are  you 
going,  John?"  —  "Going  to  see  what  is  going  on,"  John 
replied.  He  found  out  before  very  long ;  for  he  joined  a 
Wisconsin  regiment,  and  fought  well  until  he  was  wounded. 

The  first  fighting  occurred  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday, 
July  i.  Neither  army  knew  that  the  other  was  so  near. 
Reynolds's  corps  was  in  advance ;  but  the  main  Union  army 
was  at  Pipe-Clay  Creek,  about  twenty-five  miles  south. 
Buford's  cavalry  was  attacked  by  General  A.  P.  Hill,  west 
of  Seminary  Ridge.  Reynolds  heard  the  firing,  and  hurried 
forward,  but  was  killed  very  soon  after  he  arrived  on  the 
battle-field.'  Howard,  as  next  in  rank,  succeeded  Reynolds 
in  command.  He  was  driven  back  by  superior  numbers, 
and  retreated  to  Cemetery  Hill ;  which  position  he  after 
ward  steadily  held.  Lee's  army  then  entered  the  town. 
That  night  General  Hancock  -superseded  Howard  by  order 
of  General  Meade.  Late  in  the  afternoon  the  assault  had 
been  so  violent,  that  it  decided  the  day  for  the  Confeder 
ates.  Toward  the  close  of  the  battle,  an  officer  of  the  Sixth 
Wisconsin  approached  his  commander  with  firm  step  and 
tightly  shut  lips.  Making  a  great  effort  to  speak,  he  said, 
"Tell  them  at  home  that  I  died  like  a  man  and  a  soldier." 
Then  baring  his  breast,  he  showed  a  cruel  wound  and 
dropped  dead.  The  Union  army  slept  on  their  arms  in 
the  cemetery  that  night.  Before  morning  the  main  army, 


THE   COLOK-liEARIiK. 


1863.]  Defeat  and   Victory.  357 

excepting  Sedgwick's  corps,  arrived,  and  took  position  along 
Cemetery  Hill. 

Stretched  along  the  crest  of  Seminary  Ridge,  about  a  mile 
away,  hidden  by  the  trees,  lay  the  rebel  army.  Skirmishing 
began  in  the  morning;  but  until  noon,  July  2,  there  was  not 
much  system  or  effect  in  the  firing.  About  two  in  the  after 
noon  Sedgwick's  corps  came  in,  and  was  placed  in  reserve 
behind  Little  Round  Top  ;  and  at  four  o'clock,  the  entire 
Confederate  line  advanced,  Ewell  on  our  right,  Hill  in  the 
centre,  and  Longstreet  at  the  left.  Longstreet  fell  upon 
Sickles,  whose  line  was  in  front  of  the  ridge  of  Peach 
Orchard.  Although  their  leader  lost  his  leg,  and  was  carried 
off  the  field,  Sickles's  troops  fought  well,  yielding  only  inch 
by  inch,  when  overwhelmed  by  superior  numbers.  Wright's 
Georgian  rebels  fought  desperately.  They  reached  the  very 
crest  of  the  ridge,  but,  being  unsupported,  were  forced  to 
retire.  As  they  came  on,  a  Union  battery  was  limbered  up, 
and  galloped  off.  "  The  last  gun  was  delayed.  The  can 
noneer,  with  a  long  line  of  muskets  pointing  at  him,  deliber 
ately  drove  off  the  field.  The  Georgians  manifested  their 
admiration  for  his  bravery  by  crying,  '  Don't  shoot  ! '  And 
not  a  musket  was  fired  at  him.  Battery  men  clubbed  their 
rammers  and  handspikes,  and  even  used  stones  to  repel  the 
attack,  rather  than  desert  their  beloved  guns." 

All  this  time  Hood  had  been  trying  to  get  Little  Round 
Top,  which,  oddly  enough,  was  not  occupied  at  all.  General 
Warren,  one  of  Meade's  staff,  seeing  the  danger  of  letting 
such  a  position  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands,  ordered  a  bri 
gade  to  hold  it.  The  battle  became  furious.  Bayonets  were 
resorted  to,  and  even  stones  were  used  in  this  hand-to-hand 
engagement.  Four  Union  officers  were  killed  in  defending 
the  crest  of  Little  Round  Top.  At  last  General  Crawford's 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  charged  upon  the  rebels,  who  swarmed 
like  bees  around  its  base,  with  such  violence,  that  they 


358      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1863. 

drove  the  enemy  over  a.  stone  fence  and  beyond  a  wheat- 
field.  Little  Round  Top  was  fortified  and  defended.  Hood 
having  been  wounded,  Longstreet  had  led  the  last  attack  in 
person.  In  the  mean  while,  the  enemy's  left  had  made  a 
vigorous  assault  upon  Howard  at  Cemetery  Hill.  The 
fierce  and  bloody  battle  did  not  cease  till  ten  o'clock  at 
night,  yet  the  enemy  had  not  been  repulsed.  On  Friday, 
July  3,  very  early,  Lee  again  opened  the  battle.  During  the 
morning  it  continued,  with  heavy  loss  to  both  armies.  At 
one  o'clock  the  rebel  guns  along  Seminary  Ridge  were 
trained  upon  Cemetery  Hill.  Until  three  the  firing  was  kept 
up.  Meade's  headquarters  were  completely  riddled.  The 
graves  were  dug  up,  and  the  headstones  broken.  Still  the 
Union  soldiers  managed  to  shelter  themselves  in  hollows, 
and  behind  rocks  and  trees,  so  as  not  to  suffer  much  harm. 
At  length,  supposing  that  he  had  silenced  Meade's  guns,  Lee 
steadily  advanced  his  troops  upon  the  L^nion  lines.  They 
came  on  as  handsomely  as  if  they  had  been  on  dress-parade, 
and  moved  across  the  space  which  lay  between  the  two 
ridges.  As  the  long  lines  reached  the  plain,  the  Union  guns 
poured  a  deadly  fire  upon  them.  The  men  only  drew  the 
closer  to  fill  up  the  gaps.  Expecting  to  meet  green  troops 
hiding  behind  the  trenches,  they  came  boldly  within  musket- 
range,  when  up  sprang  the  Union  veterans,  and  burst  forth 
with  such  a  volley,  that  the  rebels  no  longer  doubted  that 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  waiting  for  them.  Away  went 
Pettigrew's  Carolinians,  without  waiting  for  orders ;  and 
Wilcox  could  not  rally  Hill's  corps  to  the  front.  So  Pickett 
was  left  alone  with  his  Virginia  veterans,  who  loved  the 
smell  of  gunpowder.  Not  even  wavering  for  an  instant,  they 
ploughed  through  the  galling  fire,  up  the  side  of  Cemetery 
Hill,  over  the  wall,  until  they  were  face  to  face  with  the 
Union  army.  Orders  were  useless.  Officers  and  men  alike 
fought  desperately.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  almost  touched 


JT! 


1863.]  Defeat  and   Victory.  361 

the  Stars  and  Bars.  At  last  Pickett  alone,  of  all  the  rebel 
generals,  was  left.  There  was  one  final  shock.  Custer 
against  Wade  Hampton,  sabre  to  sabre — and  it  was  over. 
Some  ran  away;  some  surrendered.  The  ground  was 
heaped  with  the  dying  and  the  dead.  General  Hancock 
was  wounded,  and  borne  away  on  a  litter.  But  Gettysburg 
was  won  for  the  Union.  The  cavalry  had  behaved  with 
dauntless  courage  through  all  the  fight;  and  Stannard's 
Vermont  regiment,  though  raw  troops,  had  fought  like 
veterans.  It  was  a  heavy  blow  to  Lee.  He  had  gained 
nothing:  he  had  lost  much  —  too  much;  for  thirty  thou 
sand  of  his  brave  men  had  fallen. 

That  night,  after  the  sound  of  the  battle  had  ceased,  the 
bands  played  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner ; "  and  the  Union 
soldiers  answered  with  hearty  cheers  as  they  lay  upon  their 
arms.  The  whole  town  of  Gettysburg  was  turned  into  a 
hospital.  The  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions  provided 
every  thing  that  could  relieve  the  sufferings  of  the  wounded, 
or  tempt  the  appetite  of  the  sick.  Among  the  contributions, 
Canadaigua,  N.Y.,  sent  a  quantity  of  cologne,  which  the  sick 
desired  and  enjoyed  more  than  delicacies  of  food.  There 
was  no  "  lack  of  woman's  nursing,"  nor  "  dearth  of  woman's 
tears."  Confederate  and  Union  soldiers  shared  alike  in  the 
comforts  of  the  hospitals. 

After  the  battle,  Army  Chaplain  Eastman,  of  the  Seventy- 
Second  New-York,  lay  wounded  on  the  field.  He  suffered 
intolerably.  As  he  lay  thinking,  he  heard  a  voice  saying, 
"  O  my  God  !  "  He  tried  to  go  to  the  poor  fellow  ;  but  his 
wound  was  in  his  knee,  and  he  could  not  rise.  At  last 
it  occurred  to  him  that  he  could  roll  over  and  over  to  the 
place,  and  he  did  so.  He  reached  the  dying  man,  and 
prayed  with  him.  At  that  moment  a  messenger  came  for 
him  to  go  to  a  line-officer  who  wanted  to  see  him.  He 
could  not  walk,  and  so  he  was  carried.  And  all  night  long 


362      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil    War.     [1863. 

this  brave,  good  man  was  borne  in  the  soldiers'  arms  over 
the  battle-field,  ministering  to  the  dying.  Poor  General 
Barlow,  with  a  thousand  others,  was  left,  wounded,  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  His  wife  braved  all  kinds  of  dangers, 
and  at  last  made  her  way  to  him  through  the  Confederate 
lines. 

All  night,  after  the  battle,  Lee  was  getting  his  trains  ready 
for  retreat.  At  dawn  he  was  under  way.  Think  of  the 
miseries  of  the  wounded,  jolting  along  in  crowded  ambu 
lances,  with  nothing  to  eat  or  drink  !  There  was  a  feeling 
at  the  North,  that,  after  the  sacrifice  of  so  many  men,  Lee 
ought  to  have  been  followed  and  beaten  again.  He  was 
indeed  followed,  but  not  until  he  was  quite  out  of  danger  of 
being  caught.  The  Union  loss  had  been  twenty-three  thou 
sand.  General  Meade  and  the  horse  he  rode  that  day  were 
both  wounded.  The  animal,  "  Old  Baldy,"  had  belonged  to 
General  Baker,  who  rode  him  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
General  Meade  used  him  in  the  seven-days'  battles  near 
Richmond,  and  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  where  the 
horse  was  wounded  in  the  hind-leg.  At  Antietam  he  was 
wounded  again.  After  that  battle  General  Meade's  groom 
found  "  Old  Baldy  "  browsing  about  the  field  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  Neither  did  he  nor  his  master  suffer  much 
from  this  wound. 

A  girl  named  Jennie  Wade  was  killed  in  her  own  house, 
while  baking  bread  for  the  Union  soldiers.  Twenty  years 
after,  her  mother  applied  for  a  pension,  on  the  ground  that 
she  lost  her  daughter  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  Another 
woman  lived  very  near  the  battle-field,  and,  when  asked  if 
she  was  not  afraid,  she  answered,  "Well,  no.  You  see,  we 
was  a-bakin'  bread  around  here  for  soldiers,  and  we  had  our 
dough  a-risin'.  The  neighbors,  they  run  into  their  cellars ; 
but  I  couldn't  leave  my  bread.  I  stood  a-workin'  till  the 
third  shell  come  through,  and  then  I  went  down  cellar ;  but 


1863.]  Defeat  and   Victory.  363 

I  left  my  bread  in  the  oven."  —  "Why  didn't  you  go  be 
fore?" —  "Oh!  you  see  if  I  had,  the  rebels'd  have  come 
in,  and  daubed  the  dough  all  over  the  place." 

John  Burns  was  left  wounded  on  the  field.  He  wore  no 
tell-tale  uniform,  so  it  was  impossible  to  find  out  on  which 
side  he  had  been  fighting.  After  asking  many  questions, 
which  the  old  man  managed  to  evade,  the  rebels  who  found 
him  sent  him  to  his  home,  where  he  was  afterwards  visited 
by  many  Northern  people. 

Lee's  Gettysburg  campaign  had  been  a  failure.  His  loss 
amounted  to  about  thirty  thousand  men ;  and  more  than 
twenty-seven  thousand  guns  had  been  left  behind,  which  he 
could  illy  afford  to  lose.  He  recrossed  the  Potomac,  followed 
by  Meade  as  far  as  Culpeper  Court-House.  Lee  then 
crossed  the  Rapidan  ;  so  that  the  two  armies  were  in  much 
the  same  geographical  position  that  they  held  when  Pope 
began  his  Virginia  campaign  one  year  before. 


364      Young-  Folks1  History  of  t/ic  Civil   War.    [1862. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

VICKSBURG. 

EARLY  in  November,  General  Grant  began  an  advance 
movement,  with  a  view  to  the  capture  of  Vicksburg. 
Your  map  will  show  you  that  the  opposing  armies  were  then 
pretty  near  each  other.  Grant  had  seized  Bolivar  and 
Grand  Junction,  midway  between  Corinth  and  Memphis ; 
while  Pemberton,  who  had  succeeded  Van  Dora,  was  at 
Holly  Springs.  As  Grant  advanced,  however,  Pemberton 
retreated.  On  the  same  day,  Dec.  5,  Grant  moved  forward 
to  Oxford,  and  Pemberton  retired  behind  the  Tallahatchie 
River.  As  the  Union  lines  were  drawn  between  Pemberton 
and  Memphis,  where  his  supplies  came  from,  it  became  a 
serious  question  with  him  how  to  get  provisions.  That  such 
supplies  continued  to  be  received  by  the  Confederates  was 
well  known.  And  how,  also,  it  was  managed  came  to  light. 
One  day  Sherman  and  his  staff  were  riding  across  the  coun 
try,  when  they  saw  an  unusually  good-looking  wagon ;  and, 
as  he  was  always  in  need  of  wagons,  Sherman  ordered  the 
quartermaster  to  look  after  it.  The  officer  immediately  fell 
behind,  and  after  a  few  moments  he  re-appeared.  "  What 
luck?"  asked  Sherman.  "All  right,"  was  the  answer.  "I 
have  secured  that,  and  I  have  got  another  also."  When  the 
quartermaster  had  returned  to  the  farmhouse  to  ask  about 
the  wagon,  the  farmer  said  that  it  belonged  to  "  a  party  in 
Memphis,"  and  that  there  was  also  another  in  the  barn. 
Upon  going  to  the  barn,  they  found  there  a  plumed  city 


GENERAL    SHERMAN. 


i86a.]  Vicksburg.  367 

hearse,  containing  a  coffin  full  of  medicines  for  Van  Dorn's 
army.  Funeral  processions  were  looked  upon,  after  that, 
with  suspicion,  when  they  attempted  to  pass  the  Union 
lines. 

Grant's  plan  for  taking  Vicksburg  was  now  complete,  and 
there  seemed  to  be  no  reason  why  it  should  fail.  General 
Sherman  was  to  go  down  the  river  from  Memphis,  taking 
re-enforcements  at  Helena,  Ark.,  under  the  escort  of  Admiral 
D.  D.  Porter.  Sherman  was  to  make  a  river  attack,  surpris 
ing  Vicksburg.  Grant,  in  the  mean  time,  was  to  hold  Pem- 
berton  in  check,  or  follow  him  if  he  should  retreat  toward 
Yicksburg,  where  Sherman  would  be  awaiting  Grant.  Gen 
eral  Halleck  requested  General  Banks  to  send  Admiral  Far- 
ragut  with  a  fleet  to  co-operate  with  them.  But  grown-up 
people,  as  well  as  boys,  sometimes  get  the  tail  of  their  kite 
too  long,  and  it  seldom  happens  that  naval  and  land  forces 
are  able  to  arrange  their  plans  to  work  together  with  advan 
tage.  In  this  case  a  most  unfortunate  circumstance  came 
near  defeating  the  whole  expedition.  Sherman  carried  out 
his  instructions  as  promptly  as  possible,  leaving  Memphis  on 
the  20th  of  December.  General  Grant  made  Holly  Springs 
his  base  of  supplies,  and  Colonel  Murphy  was  stationed 
there  with  sufficient  force  to  hold  it.  About  the  middle  of 
December,  Van  Dorn  swept  over  the  country  in  a  fearless 
raid,  capturing  Murphy  without  the  least  resistance.  Al 
though  he  had  been  warned  of  the  coming  danger,  Murphy 
had  taken  no  steps  to  protect  his  stores.  But,  while  their 
commander  was  so  ready  to  give  up,  his  men  behaved  well, 
and  indignantly  refused  to  be  paroled.  So  the  rebels  burned 
the  storehouses,  containing  medicines,  provisions,  clothing, 
and  ammunition  to  the  amount  of  more  than  one  million  of 
dollars.  General  Grant  was  thus  deprived  of  the  supplies 
of  all  kinds,  upon  which  he  had  depended  for  the  use  of  his 
army.  The  commander  of  the  garrison  at  Holly  Springs 


368      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1862. 

was  the  same  Colonel  R.  C.  Murphy  who  fled  from  luka. 
He  was  immediately  dismissed  the  service. 

At  the  same  time  Forrest's  cavalry  dashed  through  the 
same  region,  cutting  railroads  and  telegraph-wires.  For  two 
weeks  General  Grant  had  no  food  for  his  army,  excepting 
what  he  could  pick  up,  while  for  one  week  he  could  com 
municate  neither  with  the  North  nor  with  Sherman.  This 
misfortune  was  a  sudden  check  to  Grant.  It  forced  him  to 
turn  back,  and  make  the  weary  march  to  Memphis.  In  the 
mean  time,  General  McClernand  had  obtained  from  the 
President  the  appointment  of  commander  of  the  river  ex 
pedition.  But  Sherman  was  off  before  receiving  this  news. 
As  the  little  flotilla  passed  Helena,  it  took  on  board  General 
F.  Steele's  division,  increasing  Sherman's  command  to  thirty- 
three  thousand  men.  As  had  been  arranged,  Admiral 
Porter's  gunboat  fleet  escorted  the  expedition. 

Vicksburg  stands  on  the  outside  of  an  elbow  which  is 
made  by  one  of  the  sharp  turns  of  the  Mississippi.  A  line 
of  bluffs  called  the  Walnut  Hills  rises  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  river,  and  extends  a  long  way  above  and  below  the  town. 
At  Vicksburg  these  bluffs  leave  the  river,  turning  to  the 
north-east.  Twelve  miles  farther  north,  where  they  meet  the 
Yazoo,  they  bear  the  name  of  Haines'  Bluff.  Following 
the  winding  Mississippi  from  Memphis  down  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Yazoo,  the  Union  fleet  steamed  up  that  river,  and 
assaulted  the  enemy's  works  at  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  at  the 
north  of  Vicksburg.  But  the  attempt  was  unsuccessful ; 
and  Sherman's  loss  was  heavy,  one  brigade  alone  losing 
one-third  of  its  whole  number.  Sherman  withdrew,  and  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  River  he  met  General  McClernand 
with  the  news  that  he  was  to  command  the  Mississippi 
expedition.  Sherman  also  learned,  for  the  first  time,  of 
Grant's  disaster.  This  accounted  for  the  re-enforcements 
which  Sherman  had  seen  pouring  into  Vicksburg  as  he  lay 


i863.] 


569 


encamped  on  the  Yazoo.  Now  that  Grant  had  been 
checked,  of  course  Pemberton  had  been  left  free  to  bring 
his  troops  to  the  defence  of  the  town. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1863,  General  McClernand  assumed 
command,  giving  his  troops  the  name  of  the  Army  of  the 


A    MISSISSIPPI    SCHOOLHOUSE. 


Mississippi.  Expected  supplies  for  the  Union  army  having 
failed  to  arrive,  it  was  discovered  that  they  were  captured  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River.  General  Sherman  there 
fore  proposed  to  McClernand  to  pay  a  visit  to  Arkansas  Post, 
where  the  mischief  was  done.  The  advice  was  promptly 
acted  upon.  The  army,  convoyed  by  gunboats,  moved  up 
the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  White  River,  and  thence, 


37O      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil    War.     [1863. 

through  a  cut-off,  to  the  Arkansas.  Going  up  the  Arkansas 
a  little  way,  they  came  to  Fort  Hindman,  or  Arkansas  Post 
as  it  is  usually  called,  and  opened  fire  upon  it.  At  last, 
when  the  troops  were  preparing  to  take  the  works  by  assault, 
the  fort  surrendered.  The  prize  for  this  undertaking  was 
five  thousand  Confederate  prisoners  and  a  large  quantity 
of  stores  and  ammunition.  Leaving  a  small  force  here,  the 
Union  army  returned  to  Milliken's  Bend,  where  Grant,  in 
person,  took  command  of  the  whole  army.  The  troops 
were  set  at  work  at  once  to  finish  the  canal  begun  by 
Williams  in  the  preceding  June.  While  this  was  going  on, 
Grant  began  to  cast  about  for  some  way,  not  yet  tried,  to 
reach  Vicksburg  from  the  north.  Another  canal  was  begun 
at  Lake  Providence,  seven  miles  above  the  town.  After 
weeks  of  hard  work,  it  was  finished,  but  was  soon  given  up. 
A  third  canal  was  opened  at  Moon  Lake,  still  farther  north, 
and  shared  the  same  fate. 

At  length  Grant  conceived  the  idea  of  pushing  his  troops 
down  the  west  shore  to  a  point  below  Vicksburg,  to  run  his 
gunboats  past  the  Vicksburg  batteries,  and,  using  them  to 
cross  the  river,  to  reach  Vicksburg  from  the  south  and  rear. 
When  it  was  known  that  the  gunboats  were  to  run  the  bat 
teries,  the  whole  army  would  have  volunteered  to  undertake 
the  dangerous  task.  One  still,  cloudy  evening  about  the 
middle  of  April,  seven  gunboats,  three  transports,  and  ten 
barges  moved  down  the  river  in  silent  procession.  They 
were  so  protected  by  cotton-bales  and  hay,  that  they  scarcely 
looked  like  boats.  Admiral  Porter,  in  the  flagship  Benton, 
led  the  way.  Vicksburg  was  dark.  Suddenly,  just  as  the 
fleet  was  in  front  of  the  city,  the  whole  hillside  blazed  with 
lights.  The  signal-gun  had  been  fired,  rockets  were  sent 
up,  and  bonfires  lighted,  until  even  the  court-house  clock 
could  be  seen.  Out  blazed  the  rebel  cannon,  and  the 
national  guns  gave  answer.  The  roar  was  deafening.  But 


1863.  ]  Vicksbu  rg.  371 

under  cover  of  the  smoke  and  noise,  without  the  loss  of  a 
single  life,  the  flotilla  ran  safely  by.  One  transport  was  lost, 
and  two  men  were  wounded.  It  was  a  grand  idea,  and  had 
been  so  nobly  carried  out,  that,  ten  days  later,  six  wooden 
transport-steamers,  without  escort  of  gunboats,  ran  the  block 
ade  of  the  Vicksburg  batteries.  Captain  Oliver  commanded, 
and  the  Tigress  led  the  fleet.  Laden  with  cotton,  provisions, 
and  forage,  with  barrels  of  water,  and  hose  to  use  if  neces 
sary,  the  boats  noiselessly  drifted  with  the  current  down  the 
river.  Not  a  light  was  seen,  no  steam  escaped.  Yet,  just 
as  before,  a  picket-boat  betrayed  them  to  the  watchers  on 
Vicksburg  Heights,  and  they  also  ran  the  gantlet  of  the  ter 
rible  fire.  Every  steamer  received  some  injury.  The  Tigress 
and  six  barges  were  lost.  One  man  was  killed,  and  eight 
were  wounded.  The  whole  fleet  had  now  passed  the  bat 
teries,  and  soon  arrived  at  New  Carthage,  where  General 
McClernand's  troops  were  in  waiting.  The  march  across 
the  country  had  been  difficult,  but  nothing  less  than  impos 
sible  things  could  stop  Union  soldiers. 

While  these  slow  movements  were  being  made,  Colonel 
B.  H.  Grierson,  under  Grant's  orders,  led  a  gallant  little 
army  through  the  enemy's  country  from  Tennessee  to  Loui 
siana.  His  object  was  to  cut  the  rebel  lines  of  communi 
cation,  to  annoy  General  Pemberton,  and  to  keep  him  busy, 
and  to  destroy  all  of  the  enemy's  property  that  they  could 
lay  their  hands  upon.  The  march  was  long,  and  full  of 
dangers.  They  passed  themselves  off  as  Van  Dorn's  cav 
alry.  One  day  they  rode  through  a  swamp  eight  miles  long, 
where  the  water  was  so  high  that  twenty  of  their  horses 
were  drowned.  They  had  very  little  difficulty,  however,  in 
"borrowing"  enough  horses  from  loyal  Confederates  to 
repair  their  loss.  They  once  rode  forty-eight  hours  without 
resting,  except  long  enough  for  their  horses  to  take  breath. 
When  they  reached  Baton  Rouge,  at  the  beginning  of  May, 


372      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

these  brave  fellows  were  thoroughly  worn  out.  Many  of 
them  even  fell  asleep  in  their  saddles.  But  the  cheers  of 
the  troops  who  were  expecting  them  must  have  waked  them 
up  ;  for  never  was  heartier  welcome  given,  or  better  earned. 
Colonel  Grierson  and  his  trusty  soldiers  had  ridden  eight 
hundred  miles  in  sixteen  days,  taken  five  hundred  prisoners, 
and  destroyed  four  million  dollars'  worth  of  rebel  property. 

General  Grant  had  found  the  crossing  at  New  Carthage 
impracticable.  He  therefore  moved  as  far  down  the  river  as 
Hard  Times,  just  above  Grand  Gulf.  Admiral  Porter  then 
opened  fire  upon  the  rebel  batteries  at  Grand  Gulf,  but, 
failing  to  silence  them,  withdrew  ;  and  McClernand  marched 
his  troops  about  three  miles  farther  down  the  river.  That 
night,  under  cover  of  the  mortar-boats,  Porter's  transports 
and  gunboats  passed  the  batteries  at  Grand  Gulf.  In  the 
morning  of  April  30  Grant's  troops  began  to  cross  the 
river.  Not  an  hour  was  to  be  lost.  The  crossing  began  at 
daylight.  Every  gunboat  and  transport  was  used  to  ferry 
over  the  eighteen  thousand  men.  Like  the  Greeks  who 
stripped  themselves  for  a  race,  "laying  aside  every  weight," 
so  Grant's  army  left  behind  every  ounce  of  extra  baggage 
in  this  famous  crossing.  The  baggage  of  even  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  was  said  to  have  consisted  of  "  a  pipe, 
a  tobacco-pouch,  and  a  tooth-brush."  The  landing  was 
made  at  Bruinsburg.  The  same  night  the  army  pushed  on 
to  Port  Gibson.  General  Johnston,  who  had  been  wounded 
on  the  Chickahominy  the  year  before,  was  now  commander 
of  all  the  Confederate  forces  on  the  Mississippi.  He  was 
aware  of  Grant's  movement,  and  ordered  General  J.  S. 
Bowen  out  to  meet  the  Nationals.  In  a  severe  battle  near 
Port  Gibson,  after  a  gallant  defence,  Bowen  was  defeated. 
On  May  2  the  Union  army  entered  the  town,  and,  as  Grand 
Gulf  was  deserted  at  the  same  time  ;  Grant  at  once  made  it 
his  depot  of  supplies. 


1863.]  I'icksbiirg.  373 

Sherman,  who  had  been  left  at  Milliken's  Bend,  was 
ordered  to  make  a  feint  upon  Raines's  Bluff  when  Grant's 
army  crossed  the  Mississippi,  in  order  to  distract  Johnston's 
attention  from  its  movements.  A  "  feint,"  you  know,  is  a 
make-believe.  So  by  pretending  that  the  whole  National 
army  was  to  attack  this  point  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  which 
was  the  key  to  that  city,  General  Sherman  took  the  rebel 
mind  from  Grant.  It  must  be  explained  that  the  Confederate 
army  was  stretched  from  Raines's  Bluff  to  Grand  Gulf. 
Sherman,  having  accomplished  his  task,  now  rejoined  Grant, 
and  the  army  moved  on  again.  Jackson,  the  capital  of 
Mississippi,  lies  directly  to  the  east  of  Vicksburg,  at  the 
junction  of  two  important  lines  of  railway.  Grant  now 
hastened  thither  to  scatter  the  force  which  Johnston  was 
gathering  there,  to  break  up  railroad  and  telegraph  connec 
tion  with  Vicksburg,  and  to  secure  supplies. 

McPherson  was  ordered  to  go  by  the  way  of  Raymond. 
Logan's  division,  which  was  in  advance,  met  a  stout  resist 
ance.  After  a  brisk  action,  lasting  two  or  three  hours,  the 
Confederates  were  repulsed,  and  abandoned  the  field.  Grant 
now  moved  quickly  upon  Jackson.  No  very  serious  resist 
ance  was  met  till  Crocker's  division  attempted  to  cross  a 
deep  cut  near  Jackson,  when  the  rebels  made  a  determined 
stand ;  but  a  charge,  with  cheers  and  fixed  bayonets,  drove 
them  at  last  in  confusion  into  their  works.  The  Nationals 
continued  to  advance  without  hindrance,  to  find  the  town 
nearly  deserted.  The  governor  and  many  of  the  citizens 
had  fled.  Grant  and  a  party  of  officers  were  the  first  to 
enter  the  town.  His  son  Fred,  who  had  followed  his  father's 
fortunes  in  this  campaign,  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  rode 
into  the  rebel  capital  ahead  of  them  all.  That  night  the 
Union  flag  was  hoisted  over  the  State  House,  and  Grant 
occupied  the  house  which  had  been  Johnston's  headquarters 
the  night  before.  Sherman  was  left  at  Jackson  to  destroy 


374     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

rebel  property,  while  the  main  army  turned  to  attack  Pem- 
berton,  then  advancing  from  Vicksburg.  The  result  was  the 
battle  of  Champion  Hills  on  the  i6th  of  May,  really  fought 
and  won  by  McPherson's  corps.  It  has  been  said,  that,  if 
McClernand  had  shown  half  as  much  energy  as  McPherson 
and  his  three  division  commanders,  every  man  in  Pember- 
ton's  army  might  have  been  captured.  The  Confederates 
lost  General  Tilghman,  who  surrendered  Fort  Donelson  to 
Grant.  Pemberton's  army  was  routed,  and  hastily  fell  back 
to  Bridgeport,  on  the  Big  Black  River.  The  night  after  the 
battle  of  Champion  Hills,  an  incident  took  place  which  shows 
to  what  straits  our  hungry  soldiers  were  sometimes  pushed. 
Although  General  Grant  did  not  allow  his  men  to  help  them 
selves  to  what  did  not  belong  to  them,  his  strict  orders  were 
sometimes  evaded. 

A  hungry  soldier  set  out  to  find  something  for  his  supper. 
He  soon  returned  to  his  tent,  bringing  a  side  of  bacon,  a  bag 
of  corn-meal,  and  (only  fancy  what  a  luxury  !)  a  pitcher  of 
molasses.  After  such  a  good  meal  as  they  had  not  enjoyed 
for  many  a  day,  his  comrade  chanced  to  pass  headquarters, 
and  was  surprised  to  hear  a  woman's  voice.  He  stopped 
and  listened.  He  was  just  in  time  to  hear  her  say,  "Yes,  it 
was  one  of  your  soldiers.  I  could  tell  him  anywheres.  He 
was  the  shortest  man  ever  I  see."  —  "  But  my  soldiers  would 
not  be  guilty  of  such  a  thing,"  the  general  replied.  "Well, 
you  just  give  me  an  officer  to  show  me  around,  and  I'll  pick 
him  out.  I'd  know  my  blue-edged,  broken-nosed  pitcher 
anywheres,"  she  answered.  "Very  well,"  said  the  general, 
and  gave  the  order.  The  listener  waited  no  longer.  He 
hurried  back  to  his  tent,  dug  a  hole  in  the  ground  with  his 
bayonet,  dropped  the  pitcher  in,  and  covered  it  up.  He 
then  told  the  forager,  who  was  indeed  the  shortest  man 
in  his  regiment,  to  hide  in  the  canebrake  close  by  till  the 
woman  had  examined  their  quarters.  He  was  not  a  moment 


laca-l  Vicksburg.  375 

too  soon.  Hardly  had  the  man  disappeared,  when  she  and 
her  escort  entered  the  tent,  and,  after  carefully  looking  about 
her,  passed  on  to  another. 

The  next  morning,  Sunday,  May  17,  Grant  attacked  the 
Confederates  in  their  works  on  the  Big  Black.  General  M. 
K.  Lawlor  executed  a  gallant  charge  that  day,  which  sent 
the  rebels  flying  in  every  direction.  Seventeen  hundred 
prisoners  were  taken.  Although  they  threw  away  their  arms, 
and  left  their  artillery  behind  them,  the  rebels  succeeded 
in  burning  their  bridges ;  the  only  thing  which  prevented 
Grant's  army  from  chasing  them  into  Vicksburg.  The  pon 
toon-trains  were  with  Sherman  in  the  rear ;  but  that  night 
Colonel  Hickenlooper,  McPherson's  chief  engineer,  cleverly 
built  a  bridge  of  cotton-bales,  over  which  the  troops  eagerly 
pressed  in  the  morning.  As  soon  as  he  arrived,  Sherman 
threw  his  pontoons  across  the  Big  Black ;  and  before  daylight 
his  command,  too,  had  safely  passed  over.  By  ten  o'clock 
he  was  within  three  miles  and  a  half  of  Vicksburg,  between 
it  and  Raines's  Bluff.  Grant  and  Sherman  rode  side  by  side 
to  the  top  of  the  Walnut  Hills,  and  looked  clown  upon  the 
Union  fleet  in  the  Yazoo  River.  Commodore  Porter  was 
on  the  Yazoo  that  morning  when  he  was  startled  by  the 
sound  of  cannon.  Taking  his  field-glass,  he  saw  men  on  the 
hills  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  Were  they  friends,  or  foes? 
He  almost  doubted  his  own  eyes.  They  were  Sherman's 
troops,  bearing  the  flag  that  he  loved  to  see.  Look  again  ! 
They  were  signalling  to  him.  You  remember,  that,  by  the 
way  of  the  Yazoo,  one  could  gain  the  back  of  Vicksburg. 
When  he  arrived  at  Haines's  Bluff,  he  found  that  Sherman 
had  already  captured  the  outer  works,  and  the  Confederates 
were  leaving  them.  Porter  said  afterward  that  he  had  never 
seen  such  a  network  of  forts.  The  rebels  had  now  given 
up  all  outworks,  and  withdrawn  within  the  defences  of 
Vicksburg.  On  the  igth  a  general  assault  was  made,  Sher- 


376      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

man  on  the  right,  McPherson  in  the  centre,  and  McClernand 
on  the  left.  After  a  hot  encounter  without  success,  for  the 
rebels  fought  well,  the  Union  troops  fell  back.  The  next 
two  days  were  spent  in  establishing  connection  with  the 
Yazoo.  No  doubt  the  tired  troops  were  glad  to  rest,  for  it 
was  evident  that  it  would  be  no  boys'  play  to  reduce  Vicks- 
burg.  On  the  morning  of  May  22,  at  ten  o'clock,  another 
assault  all  along  the  line  was  ordered.  To  make  sure  that 
every  gun  should  blaze  out  at  the  same  instant,  all  the  corps 
commanders  set  their  watches  with  General  Grant's.  With 
a  rush  the  whole  line  advanced,  only  to  be  beaten  back. 
The  struggle  was  fearful.  A  fort  is  always  surrounded  by  a 
ditch.  A  storming-party  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  volunteers 
formed  the  forlorn  hope  which  was  to  cross  the  ditch,  and 
scale  the  parapet.  Provided  with  poles  and  boards  for  the 
crossing,  at  the  given  signal  the  party  ran  forward  at  full 
speed,  closely  followed  by  Ewing's  brigade.  The  ditch  was 
passed,  the  flag  was  planted  on  the  parapet ;  but  the  bodies 
of  that  brave  band  almost  closed  up  the  way  before  the 
troops  who  pressed  on  to  their  support.  Something  hap 
pened  that  day  which  shall  be  given  in  General  Sherman's 
own  words ;  for  it  shows  not  only  a  small  boy's  courage,  but 
a  great  soldier's  gentleness.  "  When  the  battle  of  Vicksburg 
was  at  its  height,  on  the  22d  of  May,  and  I  was  on  foot,  near 
the  road  which  formed  my  line  of  attack,  a  young  lad  came 
up  to  me,  wounded  and  bleeding,  with  a  good  healthy  boy's 
cry,  '  General  Sherman,  send  some  cartridges  to  Colonel 
Malmborg.  The  men  are  all  out.'  — '  What  is  the  matter, 
my  boy?  '  I  asked.  'They  shot  me  in  the  leg,  sir  ;  but  I  can 
go  to  the  hospital.  Send  the  cartridges  right  away.'  Even 
where  we  stood,  the  shot  fell  thick ;  and  I  told  him  to  go  to 
the  rear  at  once,  I  would  attend  to  the  cartridges.  And 
off  he  limped.  Just  before  he  disappeared  over  the  hill,  he 
turned  and  called  out,  as  loud  as  he  could,  'Caliber  54  ! ' ' 


PLANTING   THE    FLAG   AT   VICKSBURG. 


1863.1  Vicksburg.  379 

And  then  this  kind-hearted,  busy  man  adds  in  his  report  his 
opinion  that  such  a  faithful  boy,  wounded  and  so  young, 
would  "  make  a  man,"  which  was  high  praise  from  such  a 
source.  This  was  one  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the 
campaign.  At  last  the  colors  of  the  Hundred  and  Thirtieth 
Illinois  were  planted  on  the  counterscarp,  or  inner  wall ;  but 
so  deadly  was  the  rain  of  bullets,  that  the  Nationals  could 
get  no  farther.  The  colors  floated  there  all  day,  neither  side 
being  able  to  secure  them.  Of  the  thirty  thousand  Union 
men  engaged  in  the  second  assault,  one-tenth  were  killed 
or  wounded.  But  the  assault  had  failed.  "  A  soldier  left 
on  the  battle-field  that  night  begged  piteously  for  water; 
and,  being  near  the  Confederate  intrenchments,  his  cries 
were  all  directed  to  the  Confederate  soldiers.  The  firing 
was  heaviest  where  the  boy  lay,  and  it  was  at  the  risk  of  life 
for  any  one  to  go  near  him.  Yet  a  Confederate  soldier  asked 
and  obtained  leave  to  carry  water  to  him,  and  stood  and 
fanned  him  while  he  drank  from  the  heroic  soldier's  can 
teen." 

Grant  now  began  to  prepare  for  a  siege.  The  enemy,  in 
the  mean  time,  prepared  to  hold  out.  Their  rations  "were 
cut  down  to  fourteen  ounces  and  a  half  for  each  person. 
We  must  remember  that  not  soldiers  alone  occupied  the 
besieged  town,  but  women  and  children  lived  in  it,  hiding 
in  caves  dug  in  the  hillsides  ;  for  Vicksburg  was  called  "  the 
city  of  a  hundred  hills."  Flour  reached  a  thousand  dollars 
a  barrel  in  Confederate  money.  Mule-meat  was  a  dollar  a 
pound.  Horses  were  fed  on  corn-tops.  No  supplies  could 
be  brought  in,  and  all  communication  with  the  outside  world 
was  cut  off.  When  the  Union  army  entered  the  town,  the 
following  bill  of  fare  was  found  in  the  rebel  camp  :  — 


380     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 
HOTEL   DE   VICKSBURG. 


BILL     OF     FARE     FOR     JULY,     1863. 

Soup. 
Mule-tail. 

Boiled.        ^ 
Mule  Bacon,  with  Poke  Greens.         Mule  Ham,  canvassed. 

Roast. 
Mule  Sirloin. 

Entrees. 
Mule  Head,  stuffed  and  jerked.      Mule  Liver,  hashed  and  fricasseed. 

Jellies. 
Mule-foot. 

Pastry. 
China-berry  Tart.        Cottonwood-berry  Pie.         Pea-meal  Pudding. 

Dessert. 

White-oak  Acorns.         Beechnuts. 
Blackberry-leaf  Tea.        Genuine  Confederate  Coffee. 

Parties  arriving  by  the  river,  or  Grant's  Inland  Route, 
will  find  Grape,  Canister,  &  Co.'s  carriages  at  the  landing, 
or  any  depot  on  the  line  of  intrenchments. 

Even  the  dogs  moaned  and  whined  about  the  streets,  howl 
ing  when  a  shell  exploded.  To  add  to  the  horrors  of  the 
siege,  Grant  began  to  dig  mines,  through  the  hills,  under  the 
town.  In  these,  powder  was  placed,  and  fired  by  means 
of  a  fuze.  The  Confederates  also  resorted  to  this  mode  of 


1863.  ]  Vicksbn  rg.  3  8 1 

warfare,  making  counter-mines,  thus  keeping  the  wretched 
inhabitants  of  the  town  in  a  state  of  constant  terror.  Every 
day  Porter  shelled  the  city,  and  every  night  the  sky  was 
red  with  the  glow  of  his  mortars.  Yet  the  rebels  held  out, 
despite  hunger  and  sickness,  and  failing  ammunition.  P'or 
forty-seven  long  days  and  longer  nights  the  siege  lasted. 
Surrounded  on  all  sides,  the  Nationals  pressing  their  lines 
closer  every  day,  an  assault  hourly  expected,  and  with  thirty- 
one  thousand  hungry  soldiers  crowded  into  the  town,  their 
case  grew  daily  more  desperate. 

Now  and  then,  it  is  true,  messengers  from  Johnston  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  Vicksburg ;  but  they  were  usually  cap 
tured  by  the  Nationals.  On  one  occasion  Johnston  called 
for  volunteers  to  carry  despatches  to  Pemberton.  A  man 
presented  himself.  Entering  the  Yazoo  in  a  small  boat,  he 
rowed  to  the  Mississippi.  Here  he  left  the  boat,  and  hid 
in  the  wood  till  dark.  He  then  took  off  all  his  clothing, 
and  rolled  it  tightly,  with  the  letters,  in  a  bundle  which  he 
fastened  to  a  plank.  Then  lie  jumped  into  the  Mississippi, 
and  in  the  darkness  drifted  with  it  down  the  stream,  past  the 
Union  fleet,  two  miles  below  Vicksburg,  reaching  Pemberton 
in  safety. 

Finally  General  Grant  made  up  his  mind  to  make  one 
more  assault.  Seeing  that  he  was  getting  ready  to  do  so, 
General  Pemberton  asked  Grant  to  meet  him  under  a  flag 
of  truce.  At  three  o'clock  one  afternoon,  tinder  an  oak- 
tree,  these  two  men  came  face  to  face,  and  talked  —  does  it 
seem  strange  ?  —  they  even  shook  hands.  They  were  accom 
panied  by  several  officers.  On  both  sides,  the  works  were 
crowded  with  unarmed  men  hanging  over  the  parapets,  and 
looking  on.  Pemberton  asked  Grant  on  what  terms  he  would 
accept  his  surrender.  "Those  that  were  expressed  in  my 
letter  this  morning,"  Grant  replied.  "  If  this  be  all,  the 
conference  must  terminate,  and  hostilities  be  resumed  im- 


382     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

mediately,"  Pemberton  answered  haughtily.  "Very  well," 
said  Grant,  and  turned  away.  After  a  little  more  conversa 
tion  by  themselves,  and  some  talk  between  their  officers, 
they  separated.  The  next  morning,  at  ten  o'clock  of  the 
4th  of  July,  1863,  Pemberton  surrendered;  and  Grant's 
army  celebrated  the  day  by  writing  "  Vicksburg  "  on  their 
banners. 

It  was  a  piteous  sight  to  see  the  long  lines  of  ragged,  half- 
starved,  brave  but  beaten  soldiers,  as  they  marched  out  of 
the  town,  stacked  their  arms  before  their  conquerors,  laid 
their  colors  upon  them,  and  then  returned  within  the  lines, 
prisoners-of-war.  Thirty-one  thousand  men,  of  whom  more 
than  two  thousand  were  officers,  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  cannon,  thus  fell  into  Union  hands,  — "  the 
largest  capture  of  men  and  materiel  ever  made  in  war." 

Grant's  loss  in  the  entire  campaign  had  been  about  ten 
thousand.  It  was  a  proud  moment  to  the  young  and  gallant 
Colonel  William  E.  Strong,  of  General  McPherson's  staff, 
when  he  flung  out  to  the  breeze  from  the  court-house 
of  Vicksburg  the  garrison-flag  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps. 
A  few  hours  later  McPherson's  corps,  headed  by  Logan's 
division,  entered  the  town  ;  and  from  the  same  lofty  height 
hung  the  torn  and  bullet-riddled  battle-flag  of  the  Forty- 
Fifth  Illinois.  It  had  well  won  the  honor.  Grant  with  his 
staff,  and  McPherson  with  his,  rode  at  the  head  of  the 
column,  and  went  at  once  to  seek  Pemberton,  whom  they 
found  seated  with  his  generals ;  and,  although  they  saluted 
the  Federal  commander,  no  chair  was  offered  him  until  he 
had  been  kept  standing  for  some  minutes.  The  boasted 
courtesy  of  Southern  gentlemen  deserted  the  Confederate 
chiefs  when  it  would  have  become  them  well.  Grant  said 
that  he  was  thirsty,  but  no  one  offered  to  get  water  for 
him.  After  groping  about  in  a  dark  passage,  he  found  a 
negro  at  last,  who  gave  him  a  cup  of  water.  In  his  absence 


i863.|  Vicksbnrg.  383 

some  one  had  taken  his  seat,  and  no  other  was  offered  him. 
After  half  an  hour's  conversation  Grant  took  his  leave,  and 
rode  to  the  river  to  find  Admiral  Porter.  The  Union  army 
now  entered  the  town.  Rations  were  issued  to  the  lean  and 
hungry  prisoners  during  the  week  that  elapsed  before  their 
release.  A  Union  soldier  fainted  from  fatigue,  or  joy,  as  he 
entered  Vicksburg.  When  he  recovered,  a  ragged  Con 
federate  was  leaning  over  him,  squeezing  the  juice  of  some 
fruit  into  his  mouth.  "  How  long  is  it  since  you  had  a 
square  meal?"  asked  the  "Yank."  "Three  days,"  was  the 
answer.  "  Well,  there  is  my  haversack,  with  three  days' 
cooked  rations.  Help  yourself,"  said  the  Union  soldier. 
And  the  man  did  "fall  to"  with  such  an  appetite  that  there 
was  no  reason  to  doubt  his  word. 

The  war-eagle,  "  Old  Abe,"  behaved  like  a  hero  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  flapping  his  wings,  and  shrieking  as  if  he 
were  cheering  his  comrades  to  the  fight.  He  was  present 
at  the  surrender,  and  it  is  a  pity  that  he  could  not  have 
known  what  "  victory  "  meant. 

The  Rebellion  was  stunned,  not  killed,  by  the  defeat  of  its 
two  great  armies ;  for  the  same  day  which  saw  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  wave  from  the  court-house  at  Vicksburg  saw  also  its 
folds  flung  out  in  triumph  on  the  hills  of  Gettysburg.  Two 
battles  had  been  fought  and  won  for  the  Union. 


384      Voting  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

ON    MANY    WATERS. 

THE  surrender  of  Vicksburg  settled  the  fate  of  Port 
Hudson.  At  that  time  General  Banks  was  in  com 
mand  of  the  Department  of  the  Gulf  with  headquarters  at 
New  Orleans,  and  Admiral  Farragut  controlled  the  naval 
fleet  in  the  Lower  Mississippi.  Banks  learned  that  the 
Confederate  garrisons  at  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson  were 
receiving  supplies  by  way  of  the  Red  River,  which  enters 
the  Mississippi  midway  between  the  two  towns.  Of  course, 
if  this  were  continued,  the  siege  of  either  town  might  be 
carried  on  for  years  :  so  it  was  determined  to  run  the  batter 
ies  of  Port  Hudson,  and  blockade  the  Red  River.  Colonel 
Ellet  had  passed  the  Vicksburg  batteries  in  February,  for  the 
same  purpose  ;  but  one  of  his  boats  was  disabled  on  the 
way,  and  the  other  was  afterward  destroyed  in  the  Red  River. 
The  night  chosen  for  Farragut's  undertaking  was  as  dark 
as  a  pocket.  No  lights  could  be  used  on  board  the  vessels ; 
but  the  decks  and  gun-carriages  were  whitewashed,  while  the 
stands  of  shot  and  shell  were  left  black.  The  effect  was 
wonderful :  objects  stood  out  in  clear  relief,  and  yet  through 
the  darkness  the  vessels  could  not  be  seen  from  shore.  Early 
in  the  morning  of  March  14  Farragut  anchored  a  little  way 
below  Port  Hudson,  and  kept  up  a  lively  bombardment  all 
day.  General  Banks  at  the  same  time  attacked  in  the  rear 
with  his  land-forces,  so  that  Farragut's  design  might  not  be 
suspected.  That  night,  at  nine  o'clock,  at  a  red  signal  from 


i863.l  On  Many    Waters.  385 

the  flag-ship  Hartford,  eight  war-vessels  started  on  their 
perilous  journey,  under  cover  of  fire  from  the  mortar-boats, 
which  were  to  remain  below  the  batteries.  Scarcely  were 
they  off,  before  they  were  discovered  and  fired  upon. 

Admiral  Farragut's  only  son,  who  was  paying  him  a  visit, 
stood  by  his  side.  The  fleet-surgeon  begged  that  the  lad 
be  allowed  to  go  below  and  assist  him  in  the  care  of  the 
wounded,  where  the  danger  would  be  less.  "  No,  that  will 
not  do,"  answered  the  Admiral.  "  It  is  true  that  our  only 
child  is  on  board  by  chance,  and  he  is  not  in  the  service ; 
but,  being  here,  he  will  act  as  one  of  my  aides,  to  assist  in 
carrying  my  orders  during  battle,  and  we  will  trust  in  Provi 
dence  and  the  fortunes  of  war." 

"  Who  could  fail,  with  him  ? 
Who  could  reckon  of  life  or  limb? 

Not  a  pulse  but  beat  the  higher ! 
There  had  you  seen,  by  the  starlight  dim, 
Five  hundred  faces  strong  and  grim  — 

The  Flag  is  going  under  fire  ! 
Right  up  by  the  fort,  with  her  helm  hard-a-port, 

The  Hartford  is  going  under  fire." 

Like  all  the  larger  river-towns,  Port  Hudson  is  situated  on  a 
bend.  But  just  at  the  turning-point  the  channel  narrows,  which 
would  seem  to  promise  complete  protection  to  the  town,  since 
the  passage  of  the  Union  fleet  could  only  be  made  with  the 
utmost  danger  to  itself.  Nevertheless,  the  Hartford  fearlessly 
pushed  her  way  up  the  stream,  past  the  enemy's  batteries, 
which  opened  their  hottest  fire  upon  her.  One  after  another, 
all  the  vessels  that  followed  the  flag-ship  were  disabled  or  de 
stroyed,  except  the  Albatross  alone.  That  gallant  ship  and  her 
leader,  the  Hartford,  only  got  safely  through  ;  but  all  made  a 
noble  fight.  Farragut's  loss  was  much  greater  than  was  Grant's 
afterward  in  running  the  batteries  at  Vicksburg.  Lieutenant- 
Commander  Cummings  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  Richmond, 


386      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

with  a  speaking-trumpet  in  his  hand,  when  a  shower  of  shot 
flattened  it,  and  at  the  same  moment  a  fragment  of  shell 
took  off  his  leg.  As  he  fell,  he  said,  "  Send  my  letters  to 
my  wife,  boys.  Tell  her  that  I  fell  doing  my  duty."  When 
he  was  carried  down  to  the  surgeon's  room,  he  glanced 
around,  and  said,  "  If  there  be  any  here  hurt  worse  than 
I,  let  them  be .  attended  to  first."  Soon  after,  a  noise  of 
escaping  steam  startled  the  group ;  for  it  told  them  that 
the  engine  was  struck.  Commander  Cummings  exclaimed, 
"  Get  her  by  the  batteries,  boys,  get  her  by  the  batteries,  and 
the  rebels  may  have  the  other  leg  !  " 

Farragut  was  now  assisted  in  his  Red  River  expedition 
by  four  gunboats  from  Porter's  fleet.  They  succeeded  in 
putting  a  stop  to  rebel  supplies,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to 
capture  Port  Hudson  till  the  latter  part  of  May.  Neither 
side,  however,  spent  those  two  months  in  idleness.  While 
General  Banks  was  making  arrangements  to  invest  the  town, 
the  Confederates  were  strengthening  their  position  in  every 
imaginable  way.  To  "invest,"  in  a  military  sense,  is  to  sur 
round  by  a  force  large  enough  to  keep  a  garrison  inside. 

The  first  assault  upon  Port  Hudson  was  made  on  Wednes 
day,  May  27.  It  was  unsuccessful,  and  the  Union  loss  was 
heavy.  General  T.  W.  Sherman  was  severely  wounded. 
After  a  fortnight  the  attempt  was  repeated,  with  the  same 
result.  Then  began  the  siege,  which  was  but  a  repetition 
of  that  of  Vicksburg.  The  rebels  held  out  manfully.  The 
town  was  literally  torn  to  pieces.  Trees  were  even  stripped 
of  leaves  and  bark,  and  the  garrison  lived  on  all  sorts  of 
miserable  food ;  rats  and  mules  being  commonly  used  for 
meat.  But  when,  on  the  pth  of  July,  Colonel  F.  K.  Gardner, 
the  rebel  commander,  heard  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  he 
surrendered  the  fort,  garrison,  and  all  the  materiel  of  war. 
There  were  no  stores  of  food  left. 

The  Mississippi  River  was  now  once  more  open   to  the 


1863.1  On  Many    Waters.  387 

Union  fleet  from  New  Orleans  to  St.  Louis.  There  was 
great  rejoicing  a  few  days  later,  when  the  steamer  Imperial 
reached  her  dock  at  the  former  port ;  for  it  was  the  first 
peaceful  craft  to  make  the  trip  in  two  years. 

While  Banks  and  Farragut  had  been  busy  at  Port  Hudson, 
the  Confederate  General,  Dick  Taylor,  had  seized  Brashear 
City  and  Alexandria,  —  two  towns  lying  in  that  network  of 
bayous  that  covers  a  large  part  of  the  State  of  Louisiana. 
Nor  was  this  all.  They  even  threatened  the  city  of  New 
Orleans  ;  and  General  Emory,  who  had  been  left  in  command 
there,  wrote  to  General  Banks  on  the  4th  of  July,  urging 
him  to  return  at  once.  Banks  chose  to  make  sure  of  his 
"  bird  in  the  hand,"  and  waited,  till,  with  the  fall  of  Port  Hud 
son,  the  danger  passed  :  indeed,  the  whole  country  surround 
ing  New  Orleans  was  very  restless  under  "  Yankee  "  control. 

Although  Galveston,  on  the  Gulf  coast  of  Texas,  had 
been  captured  in  November,  1862,  it  was  very  far  from 
loyal  to  the  Union  ;  and  it  was  willingly  retaken  by  the  rebels 
on  Jan.  i,  1863.  It  remained  in  their  possession  till  the 
close  of  the  war. 

Grant  meanwhile  had  remained  in  Vicksburg.  He  was 
made  a  major-general  in  the  regular  army  as  a  reward  for 
his  services  in  the  late  campaign.  Generals  Sherman  and 
McPherson  received  a  well-earned  promotion  to  the  rank 
of  brigadier-general  in  the  regular  army. 

Johnston  had  advanced  to  the  Big  Black  River,  with  the 
hope  of  aiding  Pemberton,  when  he  heard  of  the  surrender 
of  Vicksburg :  he  therefore  quickly  retreated  to  Jackson. 
Sherman  pursued  him  with  nearly  fifty  thousand  men,  sur 
rounded  the  town,  and  began  a  siege.  As  Johnston  had  no 
provisions  for  his  army,  he  could  neither  make  an  attack, 
nor  stand  a  siege  :  so  he  quietly  slipped  away,  putting  the 
Pearl  River  between  himself  and  Sherman,  and  burning  the 
bridges  behind  him.  Sherman  was  instructed  to  relieve 


388      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

the  sufferings  of  the  inhabitants,  whose  city  had  been  laid 
waste  by  the  tramp  of  two  armies.  Rations  for  five  hundred 
people  for  a  month  were  accordingly  issued. 

During  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  the  Confederate  General 
Walker  attacked  the  post  at  Milliken's  Bend  with  peculiar 
savageness,  on  account  of  the  complexion  of  its  garrison, 
for  it  was  made  up  of  colored  troops.  Against  great  odds, 
the  poor  fellows  defended  themselves.  They  were  at  length 
overpowered,  and  would  have  been  captured,  but  for  the 
timely  assistance  of  two  Union  gunboats. 

The  Union  garrison  at  Helena,  Ark.,  under  General  B. 
M.  Prentiss,  was  also  attacked.  But.  after  a  sharp  battle, 
lasting  several  hours,  the  Confederates  withdrew.  After 
that,  nothing  of  importance  was  done  for  the  next  two 
months.  McPherson's  corps  was  retained  at  Vicksburg ; 
and  Sherman  went  into  camp  on  the  Big  Black,  where  his 
family  joined  him. 

Events  of  some  importance  had  also  been  taking  place  on 
the  Atlantic  coast  during  the  past  few  months.  Along  its 
whole  extent,  only  Charleston  and  Savannah  remained  in 
the  possession  of  the  Confederates.  General  O.  M.  Mitchel, 
who  had  been  transferred  from  the  West  to  the  Department 
of  the  South,  had  begun  active  preparations  for  a  campaign 
against  Charleston,  when  he  suddenly  died  of  yellow-fever ; 
and  the  intended  expedition  was  abandoned.  In  February, 
1863,  Commander  Worden,  our  old  friend  who  fought  the 
first  monitor  at  Hampton  Roads,  made  the  attempt  to  cap 
ture  Fort  McAllister  on  the  Ogeechee  River,  a  few  miles 
below  Savannah.  For  eight  months  the  blockade-runner 
Nashville  had  been  lying  under  cover  of  the  guns  of  the 
fort,  waiting  for  a  chance  to  slip  out  with  her  cargo.  Com 
mander  Worden  bombarded  the  fort  from  the  monitor 
Montauk ;  and  the  fort,  in  turn,  opened  fire  upon  him, 
neither  doin°r  the  other  harm.  At  length  Worden  turned  his 


'     ',• 


ill 


1863.]  On  Many    Waters.  391 

attention  to  the  Nashville,  and  soon  a  low  boom  was  heard. 
Then  a  black  smoke  rose  over  her.  One  after  another,  her 
guns  exploded,  and  at  last  her  magazine.  The  splendid 
steamer  Nashville  was  in  flames.  As  the  Montauk  withdrew, 
she  ran  over  a  torpedo,  which  literally  lifted  her  out  of  the 
water  without  inflicting  serious  damage.  A  few  days  later 
the  whole  Union  fleet  again  entered  the  Ogeechee,  to  assault 
McAllister.  After  a  fight  of  eight  hours,  unrewarded  by  any 
fruits,  the  fleet  withdrew. 

By  this  time  the  monitors  had  come  into  such  favor,  that 
there  was  a  small  fleet  of  them  doing  duty  on  the  coast. 
But  they  were  better  fighters  than  sailers.  The  first  ram 
bearing  that  name  foundered  at  sea  before  it  was  quite  a 
year  old.  Her  crew  were  saved  by  her  two  companions,  the 
Passaic  and  the  Montauk,  both  of  which  narrowly  escaped 
her  fate.  There  were  seven  monitors  now,  in  the  South 
Atlantic  squadron,  all  having  Indian  names.  Early  in  April 
Commodore  Dupont  assembled  his  war-fleet  at  the  entrance 
of  Charleston  harbor.  On  the  yth  it  entered  the  harbor,  and 
slowly  moved  toward  Fort  Sumter ;  the  Weehawken  leading 
the  way.  To  Dupont's  surprise,  the  batteries  on  Morris 
Island  were  silent.  When  the  vessels  made  the  attempt  to 
pass  between  Sumter  and  Sullivan's  Island,  the  Weehawken 
was  caught  by  a  cable  stretched  across  the  channel.  Now 
was  the  time  for  all  the  batteries  to  blaze  forth,  and  they  used 
their  opportunity  to  good  purpose.  The.  Weehawken  turned 
around  ;  and  immediately  all  the  others  followed,  thus  throw 
ing  the  fleet  into  confusion.  Commodore  Dupont's  iron- 
plated  frigate,  the  New  Ironsides,  became  unmanageable. 
The  Nantucket  and  Catskill  at  the  same  moment  were 
entangled  with  her,  and  she  had  to  anchor  to  keep  from 
running  aground  :  so  she  signalled  to  the  others  to  go  on 
and  leave  her.  The  monitors  next  tried  the  passage  to  the 
south  of  Sumter,  but  found  that  impassable  also.  All  this 


3Q2      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1863. 

time  shot  and  shell  beat  upon  the  squadron  with  the  regu 
larity  of  the  ticking  of  a  clock.  At  last  they  took  position 
in  front  of  Sumter,  and  opened  bombardment  upon  it.  The 
Keokuk  was  completely  riddled ;  and,  although  she  was  with 
difficulty  kept  afloat,  she  sank  that  night  near  Morris  Island. 
But  they  all  fought  well.  The  Ironsides  got  off  with  the 
tide,  having  only  fired  two  broadsides.  The  next  day 
Dupont  returned  with  his  fleet  to  Port  Royal,  leaving  the 
Ironsides  outside  of  Charleston  harbor.  The  disappoint 
ment  was  the  greater,  because  it  had  been  hoped  that  the 
Union  flag  might  be  raised  over  Sumter  on  the  anniversary 
of  the  first  attack  upon  it,  two  years  before. 

In  June  it  was  whispered  that  the  Atlanta,  a  swift,  strong 
British  blockade-runner,  had  been  changed  into  an  iron-clad 
at  Savannah,  for  the  purpose  of  dashing  into  the  Union 
blockade  fleet  at  Charleston.  The  women  of  Savannah  had 
sold  their  jewels  to  meet  the  expense  of  her  new  coat-of- 
mail,  and  she  was  said  to  be  equal  to  any  two  monitors  in 
action.  Commodore  Dupont  therefore  sent  the  Weehawken 
and  the  Nahant  to  watch  for  her.  On  the  i  yth  of  June,  as 
she  was  coming  down  Wilmington  River,  accompanied  by 
two  steamers  full  of  people  who  had  come  out  to  see  the 
destruction  of  the  Union  fleet,  the  Weehawken  came  in 
sight.  Captain  John  Rodgers  beat  to  quarters,  and  pre 
pared  the  Weehawken  for  action,  closely  followed  by  the 
Nahant.  They  advanced  steadily  to  meet  the  Atlanta,  which 
lay  across  the  river  waiting  for  them.  Captain  Rodgers's 
very  first  shot  from  a  well-aimed  fifteen-inch  gun  penetrated 
the  Atlanta's  armor,  and  wounded  several  men.  Another,  at 
nearer  range,  took  the  roof  off  the  pilot-house,  and  stunned 
the  man  at  the  wheel.  In  just  fifteen  minutes  after  the  first 
shot  from  the  Weehawken,  the  Atlanta  hauled  down  her 
colors,  and  the  battle  was  over. 

Several  changes  occurred  in  the  Department  of  the  South 


1863.1  On  Many    Waters.  393 

about  this  time.  General  David  Hunter  was  transferred 
to  the  West,  and  General  Q.  A.  Gillmore  succeeded  him. 
Commodore  Dupont  was  relieved  by  Rear-Admiral  Foote, 
but  while  the  latter  was  getting  ready  to  go  to  his  new  com 
mand  he  died.  Admiral  John  H.  Dahlgren,  the  inventor  of 
the  Dahlgren  gun,  succeeded  Foote. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  just  on  the  eve  of  the  victories  at 
Gettysburg  and  Vicksburg,  General  Gillmore  began  opera 
tions  upon  Charleston.  He  secretly  conveyed  a  body  of 
men  to  Folly  Island,  built  earth-works,  and  mounted  heavy 
guns  to  bear  upon  the  batteries  of  Morris  Island.  Your 
map  will  show  you  that  Folly  Island  lies  to  the  south  of 
Morris  Island,  and  is  only  separated  from  it  by  a  narrow 
inlet. 

When  all  was  ready,  these  unseen  batteries  opened  fire 
upon  the  enemy's  works,  assisted  by  four  monitors.  Admiral 
Dahlgren  commanded.  Under  cover  of  this  fire,  General 
George  E.  Strong  landed  his  infantry  in  small  boats,  and 
carried  the  works  on  the  south  end  of  the  island  by  assault. 
Forts  Gregg  and  Wagner,  at  the  north  end,  were  shelled  at 
intervals  all  night ;  and  early  in  the  morning  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  was  made  to  take  Fort  Wagner. 

A  few  days  later  General  Gillmore  and  Admiral  Dahlgren 
attacked  Fort  Wagner  with  batteries,  monitors,  and  mortars. 
After  three  hours,  its  guns  were  silenced ;  and,  presuming 
that  it  was  abandoned,  General  Seymour  undertook  to  take 
possession  of  the  fort.  A  fierce  and  bloody  battle  followed. 
One  colored  regiment,  led  by  Colonel  Robert  G.  Shaw,  was 
literally  destroyed,  their  gallant  leader  being  among  the  first 
to  fall.  Genera]  George  C.  Strong  was  also  killed.  After 
twelve  hours  of  hard  fighting,  the  Nationals  retired,  having 
suffered  heavy  loss. 

General  Gillmore  now  began  a  siege.  Night  and  day  the 
monitors  kept  up  a  steady  fire.  During  the  nights  new 


394     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

batteries  were  built  nearer  and  nearer  to  Fort  Wagner, 
while  all  day  long  the  Union  guns  shelled  both  it  and 
Sumter. 

Does  it  seem  possible  that  a  gun  on  Morris  Island  could 
throw  a  two-hundred-pound  ball  with  force  enough  to  go 
through  a  wall  as  far  away  as  Charleston,  a  distance  of  five 
miles?  "The  Swamp  Angel,"  a  Union  Parrott  gun,  per 
formed  this  feat,  to  the  great  discomfort  of  the  dwellers  in 
that  city. 

For  seven  days  General  Gillmore  bombarded  Fort  Sumter. 
On  the  24th  of  August  he  demanded  its  surrender,  together 
with  the  forts  on  Morris  Island.  In  return,  Beauregard 
complained  of  General  Gillmore's  "barbarity"  in  firing 
upon  defenceless  old  men,  women,  and  children.  To  this, 
Gillmore  answered  that  Beauregard  had  not  performed  his 
duty  in  removing  them,  although  he  had  been  given  forty 
days  in  which  to  do  it.  After  that,  only  an  occasional  re 
minder  of  its  Union  neighbors  was  dropped  into  Charleston. 
On  the  yth  of  September  it  was  discovered  that  the  rebels 
had  secretly  evacuated  Forts  Wagner  and  Gregg,  thus  leaving 
Morris  Island  in  full  possession  of  the  Union  troops,  who 
repaired  and  strengthened  the  abandoned  works,  and  built 
new  batteries.  Charleston  began  to  feel  the  effect  of  the 
protracted  bombardment,  and  now  and  then  a  Union  shot 
told  upon  Sumter.  Not  only  did  the  city  suffer  in  the 
destruction  of  its  buildings,  but  its  wharves  and  docks  were 
under  fire  so  constantly,  that  the  business  of  blockade- 
running  was  out  of  the  question. 

In  December  the  monitor  Weehawken  suddenly  sank, 
in  a  gale,  off  Morris  Island.  Four  engineers  and  twenty- 
six  of  her  crew  went  down  with  her :  the  rest  jumped  over 
board  at  the  last  moment,  and  were  saved.  It  was  supposed 
that  her  hatches  had  been  left  open,  and  she  thus  filled  with 
water.  It  was  a  sad  fate  for  the  brave  little  company  within 


i863.]  On  Many   Waters.  395 

her  iron  walls,  and  the  lesson  of  doing  little  duties  as  well 
as  big  ones  was  learned  too  late.  No  further  attempt  was 
made  to  capture  the  city  of  Charleston,  or  the  forts  in  its 
harbor,  during  the  years  1863  or  1864. 


396     Young-  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

STEPS    THAT    COUNT. 

THE  Army  of  the  Cumberland  had  enjoyed  a  long  va 
cation.  It  was  not  until  the  end  of  June,  1863,  that 
Rosecrans  began  to  prepare  for  an  advance  upon  the  Con 
federate  lines.  His  plan  then  was  to  drive  Bragg  from  his 
intrenched  position  at  Shelbyville,  Ala.,  cut  off  his  retreat, 
and  force  him  to  fight  on  a  field  of  Rosecrans'  own  choosing. 
Twelve  days'  rations  were  issued  to  the  Union  troops,  and  on 
the  23d  the  march  began.  But  Bragg  did  not  fall  into  the 
trap  so  nicely  set  for  him.  Although  some  sharp  fighting 
took  place,  he  steadily  fell  back  to  Bridgeport  on  the  Ten 
nessee  River. 

Rosecrans  followed.  But  the  roads  were  heavy,  and  the 
march  was  difficult ;  so  that  Bragg  was  safely  established  in 
Chattanooga  before  the  Union  army  could  overtake  him. 
Still,  Rosecrans  was  well  satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  nine 
days'  campaign.  Although  he  had  not  captured  Chatta 
nooga,  as  he  had  set  out  to  do,  his  army  had  driven  Bragg 
out  of  Middle  Tennessee,  and  taken  a  large  number  of 
prisoners,  besides  a  quantity  of  commissary  stores.  The  next 
three  weeks  were  spent  in  repairing  railroads  and  in  bringing 
forward  supplies.  Another  reason  for  delaying  the  move 
ment  upon  Chattanooga  was  that  the  corn  might  ripen,  and 
so  provide  food  for  the  Union  army. 

Hardly  had  Rosecrans'  army  started  on  its  march  toward 
Shelbyville,  when  one  morning  the  Union  garrison  at  Somer- 


,863.J  Steps  that  Count.  399 

set,  Ky.,  was  startled  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  woman, 
who  dashed  into  its  camp  on  a  jaded  horse,  begging  fo  see 
the  commanding  general,  as  "  every  moment  was  precious." 
The  general  courteously  asked  the  woman  to  alight.  Then 
she  told  him  that  she  had  ridden  from  East  Tennessee,  a 
distance  of  many  miles,  over  rough  and  dangerous  roads, 
to  bring  him  news  that  John  Morgan  with  twenty-five  hun 
dred  men  had  crossed  the  Cumberland,  and  was  at  that 
moment  marching  on  Columbia.  A  wounded  scout  had 
brought  the  word  to  her  house ;  and  as  the  woman  had  no 
sons,  and  her  husband  was  in  the  Union  army,  she  had 
herself  made  the  journey  to  warn  the  garrison.  General 
Carter  sent  a  reconnoitring  party  out  immediately  to  look 
for  the  raiders,  who  suddenly  came  upon  them ;  and  in 
the  battle  that  followed,  Carter  was  killed.  Overwhelmed 
by  superior  numbers,  his  troops  retreated.  Morgan  then 
marched  upon  Columbia,  Lebanon,  and  other  large  towns, 
on  his  way  to  the  Ohio,  where  he  seized  two  steamers  to 
carry  his  troops  across,  afterward  burning  the  boats.  He 
dashed  through  Indiana,  destroying  property  on  every 
hand,  and  crossed  into  Ohio.  He  was  bold  enough  to  ride 
around  Cincinnati,  so  near  as  to  see  its  houses.  Although 
the  people  were  panic-stricken,  it  must  not  be  supposed 
that  they  sat  still  and  saw  him  spoil  their  goods.  The  whole 
country  was  on  his  track,  and  many  a  skirmish  took  place 
in  that  long  raid.  On  Sunday  morning,  July  19,  Morgan 
reached  the  shore  of  the  Ohio  again,  intending  to  cross  at 
Buffington's  Ford,  near  Marietta.  But  a  band  of  Union 
men  was  already  there  ;  and  a  fierce  battle  was  fought,  which 
lasted  several  hours,  in  which  Major  Daniel  McCook  was 
mortally  wounded.  He  was  an  old  man,  the  father  of  eight 
sons,  all  serving  under  the  National  flag.  He  was  as  true 
a  patriot  as  ever  carried  musket.  In  one  of  the  two  gun 
boats  which  took  part  in  the  fight,  a  gun  was  manned  by 


4OO      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

the  son  of  the  captain,  Nathaniel  Pepper,  a  lad  but  eighteen 
years  old.  Fifteen  hundred  rebel  prisoners  were  captured. 
In  the  rebel  camp,  and  on  the  persons  of  the  captives,  were 
found  "greenbacks  ;  "  and  the  ground  was  strewn  with  arti 
cles  which  had  been  taken  from  peaceable  citizens.  Morgan, 
with  some  of  his  company,  escaped.  Two  days  later,  how 
ever,  they  were  again  taken,  at  New  Lisbon,  and  sent  to  the 
State- Prison  at  Columbus.  Not  long  after,  Morgan  and 
some  of  his  officers  got  out  by  digging  under  the  walls,  and 
so  made  their  away  to  the  rebel  lines  again. 

Early  in  September,  Rosecrans  made  vigorous  prepara 
tions  for  an  advance.  Bragg  saw  the  stir  in  the  Union  camp, 
and  was  afraid  of  an  attack ;  but  when  the  army  moved  to 
the  east,  toward  Georgia,  he  hastily  left  Chattanooga,  and 
threw  himself  between  the  Union  army  and  Atlanta,  with 
headquarters  at  Lafayette,  behind  Pigeon  Mountain.  Here 
he  was  re-enforced  by  Buckner's  garrison  from  Knoxville, 
which  had  fled  upon  the  approach  of  Burnside. 

Rosecrans  then  proceeded  to  take  possession  of  Chatta 
nooga,  having  done  the  very  thing  which  he  had  hoped  to 
accomplish,  in  drawing  Bragg  out  of  it.  A  glance  at  the 
map  will  be  necessary  to  understand  the  position  of  the  two 
armies ;  but  one  who  has  never  seen  that  rugged  country 
can  form  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  difficulties  which  blocked 
the  way  of  both.  Chattanooga  is  the  Indian  name  for 
hawk's  nest.  It  lies  in  a  gap  of  the  mountains  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Tennessee  River.  Just  south  of  the  town  are 
two  distinct  mountain  ranges.  That  at  the  west  is  known  as 
Lookout  Mountain,  and  the  one  to  the  eastward  is  called 
Missionary  Ridge.  Still  farther  east  are  others  less  important ; 
Pigeon  Ridge  being  the  largest,  behind  which  Bragg  was  en 
camped.  Between  Missionary  Ridge  and  Pigeon  Mountain, 
the  Chicakamauga  Creek,  which  the  Indians  called  "The 
River  of  Death,"  lazily  flows  on  its  way  to  the  Tennessee. 


1863.]  Steps  tJiat  Count.  401 

Rosecrans,  supposing  the  enemy  to  be  retreating,  left  a 
small  force  at  Chattanooga,  and  began  immediate  pursuit. 
It  was  now  Rosecrans'  turn  to  be  deceived.  Instead  of  re 
treating,  Bragg  was  already  advancing  toward  Chattanooga, 
well  knowing  that  Longstreet,  on  his  way  from  Virginia  with 
re-enforcements,  was  not  far  distant.  So  on  Friday,  the 
1 8th  of  September,  the  two  armies  confronted  each  other 
on  the  Chickamauga,  Bragg  on  the  east  bank,  Rosecrans 
on  the  west. 

There  was  some  skirmishing  during  that  day;  but  on 
Saturday  the  battle  opened  in  earnest,  and  lasted  till  even 
ing.  Neither  side  had  the  advantage,  yet  this  sad  record 
of  that  day's  work  is  given  by  one  who  took  part  in  the 
battle  :  "  When  the  firing  ceased,  one  could  have  walked 
two  hundred  yards  down  that  ditch  of  dead  rebels  without 
touching  the  ground."  The  next  day,  Sunday,  the  2Oth,  the 
slaughter  was  even  more  terrible.  Longstreet  had  come, 
and  the  enemy's  strength  was  thus  nearly  doubled.  Early  in 
the  day,  General  William  H.  Lytle  of  the  Union  army  was 
killed.  Rosecrans'  right  wing  and  centre  were  completely 
broken.  Thomas  was  gallantly  holding  his  ground  on  the 
left,  unconscious  that  he  was  fighting  the  battle  alone ;  for 
by  Rosecrans'  defeat  his  communication  with  Thomas  had 
been  cut  off.  Uncertain  of  the  fate  of  his  friend  and  favorite 
general,  Rosecrans,  and  Garfield,  his  chief  of  staff,  got  off 
their  horses,  and,  putting  their  ears  to  the  ground,  tried  to 
discover  whether  Thomas  was  still  holding  out.  "  It  is  a 
scattering  fire,"  said  Rosecrans,  listening.  "  He  is  broken." 
—  "No,  General,"  Garfield  urged.  "He  is  holding  his 
ground.  They  are  regular  volleys."  So  they  talked  and 
listened.  At  length  Rosecrans  exclaimed,  "  You  are  mista 
ken,  Garfield.  He  is  giving  way.  We  must  hurry  back  to 
Chattanooga,  and  hold  it."  —  "Well,  General,  if  you  think 
so,  let  me  go  to  Thomas,"  Garfield  replied.  And  with  a 


402      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

"  God  bless  you  ! "  and  a  parting  grasp  of  the  hand,  the 
two  separated.  Rosecrans  hastened  to  Chattanooga,  and 
wildly  telegraphed  the  news  of  his  disaster  to  Washington. 

Garfield,  braving  every  danger,  rode  with  an  orderly, 
straight  toward  the  sound  of  the  firing.  Through  the  valley, 
across  an  open  cotton-field  where  behind  the  fence  sharp 
shooters  lay  in  ambush,  up  a  slope  in  full  view  of  the  enemy, 
away  they  went.  Like  a  ship  in  a  storm,  they  rode  in  a  zig 
zag  course,  tacking  to  escape  the  aim  of  a  bullet.  Garfield 's 
horse  was  twice  shot,  but  neither  horse  nor  rider  cared  for  a 
flesh-wound.  He  reached  the  crest  in  safety ;  and  at  last, 
on  the  other  side,  in  the  midst  of  a  shower  of  shot  and  shell, 
he  made  out  Thomas.  With  his  eager  eyes  full  of  manly 
tears,  he  cried,  "  God  bless  the  old  hero  !  He  has  saved  the 
army."  Then  Garfield  hurriedly  told  Thomas  that  he  was 
outflanked,  that  Longstreet's  army  was  upon  him,  that  he 
must  form  a  line  upon  Horseshoe  Ridge  to  meet  the  assault 
of  the  enemy.  Hardly  was  the  order  given  when  Longstreet 
appeared  in  sight.  The  line  was  too  short.  What  could  be 
done  ?  At  that  instant,  from  a  cloud  of  dust,  General  Gor 
don  Granger  came  forth,  and  reported  to  Thomas  for  duty. 
The  re-enforcements  were  just  in  time.  The  gap  was  filled. 
Then  came  the  crash.  Steedman  of  Granger's  command 
seized  the  colors  of  a  regiment,  and  led  the  charge.  He 
drove  the  rebels  from  their  position,  and  after  a  battle  of 
twenty  minutes,  "  a  ghastly  breastwork  of  three  thousand 
mingled  blue-coats  and  gray  filled  the  gap ;  and  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland  was  saved  from  destruction."  Thomas 
had  well  earned  the  name  of  "  The  Hero  of  Chickamauga." 

Meanwhile,  Sheridan  and  Davis  gathered  some  of  Rose 
crans'  flying  troops,  and  held  the  pass  at  Rossville  till  sun 
set.  The  battle  of  Chickamauga  had  been  a  terrible  defeat. 
That  night  Thomas  withdrew  to  Chattanooga,  leaving  nearly 
seventeen  thousand  dead  and  wounded  to  the  mercies  of 


1863.]  Steps  that  Count.  403 

the  Confederates.  How  tender  those  mercies  were,  let  the 
captives  in  Southern  prisons  tell. 

The  story  of  Chickamauga  would  not  be  complete  with 
out  the  mention  of  Johnny  Clem,  the  drummer-boy.  A  child 
of  twelve  years,  he  had  enlisted  in  a  Michigan  regiment. 
Late  on  the  Sunday  of  the  battle,  he  found  himself  almost 
alone,  when  a  Confederate  colonel  on  horseback  shouted 
to  him  to  surrender.  The  boy,  seeing  that  he  was  caught, 
picked  up  a  gun,  and  fired,  killing  the  colonel  instantly. 
For  this  act  of  courage  he  was  made  a  sergeant,  "  and  the 
stripes  of  rank  covered  him  all  over,  like  a  mouse  in  a 
harness."  He  was  given  duty  at  headquarters ;  and  the 
daughter  of  Secretary  Chase  sent  him  a  medal  of  honor. 
Twenty  years  after,  he  was  a  captain  in  the  regular  army. 

It  is  true  that  Rosecrans  held  Chattanooga  ;  but  an  embar 
rassing  part  of  his  possession  was,  that  he  could  not  leave 
it.  Bragg  dared  not  attack  him  in  his  intrenched  position  ; 
but  the  rebel  lines  were  drawn  more  closely  around  him 
every  day,  and  Chattanooga  was  beleaguered.  Rosecrans 
had  one  road  by  which  he  could  bring  in  food  for  his  army, 
but  the  rains  of  that  season  had  made  its  condition  such  that 
even  that  could  not  be  used.  Halleck  now  telegraphed  east 
and  west  for  relief  for  the  army  shut  up  in  Chattanooga. 
He  ordered  Hooker  there  with  the  corps  of  Howard  and 
Slocum.  He  placed  Grant  at  the  head  of  the  military  divis 
ion  of  the  Mississippi,  which  was  made  up  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Ohio  under  Burnside,  of  the  Cumberland  under 
Rosecrans,  and  of  the  Tennessee,  Grant's  own  command. 
Burnside  was  already  doing  duty  at  Knoxville ;  and  Grant 
immediately  ordered  Sherman  to  Chattanooga.  Sherman 
was  then  placed  in  charge  of  the  Department  of  the  Ten 
nessee,  and  Thomas  superseded  Rosecrans.  On  the  last 
day  of  September,  Sherman  took  passage  with  his  troops 
on  the  river  for  Memphis.  His  family,  who  had  spent  the 


404     Young  Folks '  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

summer  with  him  on  the  Big  Black  River,  accompanied 
him.  Willie,  his  youngest  boy,  but  nine  years  old,  was  the 
pet  and  pride  of  the  soldiers.  He  had  shared  their  drills 
and  parades,  reported  daily  at  guard-mount,  and  was  made 
"sergeant"  in  the  Thirteenth  United-States  Battalion.  Just 
after  the  boat  had  started,  it  was  discovered  that  the  boy 
was  ill,  and  almost  immediately  the  surgeon  pronounced  his 
disease  typhoid  fever.  The  passage  to  Memphis  was  very 
slow,  for  the  river  was  low ;  and  Willie  grew  steadily  worse. 
Just  before  they  arrived,  the  doctor  told  General  Sherman 
that  he  feared  the  boy  would  die.  It  was  staggering  news. 
They  carried  the  little  sufferer  to  the  Gayoso  Hotel  in  Mem 
phis,  and  called  other  physicians  to  advise  with  their  own. 
But  neither  skill  nor  loving  care  could  save  the  child.  So 
"  Sergeant "  Willie  Sherman,  the  well-beloved  boy,  who  bore 
his  father's  name  and  loved  his  father's  soldier-life,  passed 
out  of  his  sheltering  arms.  The  next  night  General  Sher 
man  wrote  a  touching  letter  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of 
the  Thirteenth,  thanking  them  for  their  love  and  kindness  to 
his  dead  boy.  But  the  heart-broken  father  could  spare  no 
time  for  mourning.  His  orders  were  urgent ;  and  in  a  few 
days  he  left  his  family,  and  started  across  the  country  for 
Chattanooga.  After  a  difficult  and  weary  march,  he  arrived, 
on  the  1 4th  of  November.  He  found  the  Union  army  there 
in  a  position  by  no  means  enviable.  The  rebel  batteries 
along  the  crest  of  Lookout  Mountain  were  clearly  outlined 
against  the  sky.  Rebel  tents  speckled  the  sides  of  Mission 
ary  Ridge,  and  across  the  valley  were  stretched  lines  of 
rebel  intrenchments.  Hooker  was  already  there.  .  On  the 
26th  of  October  he  had  crossed  the  Tennessee  at  Bridge 
port,  and  marched  through  a  pass  of  the  Raccoon  Mountain. 
The  rebels  could  see  his  marching  column,  and  shelled  it 
from  the  heights. 

On  the  way  some  soldiers  entered  the  house  of  a  woman 


1863.]  Steps  that  Count.  407 

who  was  unlucky  enough  to  live  on  the  line  of  march.  They 
found  her  calmly  seated  in  a  chair,  taking  her  chances  of 
a  shell,  while  under  the  bed  she  had  hidden  a  pet  calf  to 
protect  it  from  harm. 

The  Confederates  made  a  savage  attack  upon  General 
Geary's  division,  near  Wauhatchie,  at  midnight,  intending  to 
surprise  his  men  asleep.  But  he  received  them  with  cool 
courage  and  a  steady  fire,  holding  his  position  for  three  hours 
against  great  odds,  until  the  enemy  was  defeated.  When 
General  Howard  tried  to  press  re-enforcements  forward  to 
Geary's  support,  he  found  himself,  with  two  or  three  of  his 
staff,  riding  quite  alone,  in  advance  of  his  troops.  At  that 
moment  he  encountered  a  party  of  rebels.  Not  being  able 
to  make  out  his  uniform  in  the  moonlight,  they  asked  who 
he  was.  "A  friend,"  Howard  answered,  and  added,  "  Have 
you  whipped  the  enemy?"  —  "No;  but  we  should  have 
done  it,  if  our  regiments  had  not  run  off  and  left  us  here," 
they  replied.  "  You  had  better  be  careful  in  going  forward," 
one  suggested ;  "for  the  'Yanks'  are  just  in  the  edge  of  that 
wood."  —  "  I'll  be  careful,"  returned  Howard;  and  he  rode 
off,  thankful  for  the  timely  advice. 

Sherman's  troops  also  crossed  the  river  at  Bridgeport, 
when  they  arrived.  On  the  march  to  Chattanooga  a  soldier 
of  Blair's  corps  joined  a  party  of  Howard's  men  at  their 
camp-fire.  He  noticed  that  they  all  wore  stars,  and  asked 
if  they  were  all  brigadier-generals ;  for  he  had  never  heard 
of  a  corps-badge.  Howard's  men  then  explained  that  they 
belonged  to  the  Twentieth  Corps,  whose  badge  was  a  star, 
and  even  their  baggage  was  marked  with  it.  "  What  is  your 
badge?"  they  then  asked.  Blair's  soldier  was  a  little  puz 
zled  ;  but  he  answered,  "  Why,  forty  rounds  in  the  car 
tridge-box,  and  twenty  in  the  pocket."  When  Logan,  who 
succeeded  Blair,  heard  the  story,  he  adopted  the  cartridge- 
box  and  forty  rounds  for  his  corps-badge. 


408     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1863. 

During  the  night  of  Nov.  22  General  W.  F.  Smith,  some 
times  distinguished  by  his  friends  as  "  Baldy  "  Smith,  built 
two  pontoon-bridges,  one  of  which  was.  thirteen  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  long.  Sherman's  troops  were  safely  crossed 
during  the  next  day,  and,  following  the  Chickamauga  Creek, 
pressed  up  the  foot-hills,  and  toward  the  northern  end  of 
Missionary  Ridge.  That  afternoon  a  sharp  battle  was  fought, 
in  which  Sherman  repulsed  the  rebels,  and  held  the  ground 
already  gained.  On  the  right,  Hooker  had  also  been  busy. 
He  was  ordered  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  enemy  from 
Sherman's  movement  by  an  attack  upon  Lookout  Mountain. 
On  the  morning  of  the  24th  he  found  Lookout  Creek  too 
high  to  cross.  He  therefore  began  building  a  bridge ;  but 
in  the  mean  time,  he  sent  Geary  with  a  larger  force  up  the 
creek  to  cross  at  Wauhatchie. 

Geary  was  then  to  turn  back  again,  and  sweep  along  the 
base  of  Lookout,  skirmishing  smartly  under  cover  of  the 
artillery  fire.  All  this  time  the  rebels  were  too  busy  in 
watching  the  bridge-builders  to  notice  Geary's  movements 
until  he  was  close  upon  them.  A  friendly  fog  had  also 
helped  to  conceal  the  movements  of  the  Union  soldiers, 
who  now  advanced  upon  the  Confederates  with  cheers,  and 
drove  them  around  the  peak  of  the  mountain.  Hooker's 
troops  gallantly  fought  their  way,  driving  the  enemy  to  the 
crest  and  over  it.  So  dense  was  the  fog  and  smoke,  that 
only  battle-sounds  indicated  to  those  in  the  valley  what  was 
going  on  at  the  top  of  the  mountain.  This  was  Hooker's 
famous  "  battle  among  the  clouds."  The  Union  troops  en 
camped  for  the  night  on'  Lookout  Mountain,  and  the  rising 
sun  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  from  its  rocky  peak. 
The  enemy  had  departed.  In  the  morning  Hooker  ad 
vanced  again,  and  drove  the  rebels  out  of  the  Chattanooga 
valley.  At  the  same  time  Sherman  was  still  fighting  on 
Missionary  Ridge.  It  was  an  evenly  matched  battle.  The 


1863.]  Steps  that  Count.  409 

sky  was  now  clear,  and  the  action  could  be  distinctly  seen 
from  Grant's  headquarters  on  Orchard  Knob.  Sherman  had 
drawn  Bragg's  attention  from  the  centre,  and  Grant  now 
seized  the  opportunity  to  advance  Thomas's  troops  quickly 
to  assault  the  Ridge.  At  a  given  signal,  away  they  went 
across  the  valley,  under  a  deadly  fire  from  Bragg's  batteries ; 
four  divisions  closely  massed, — Johnson,  Sheridan,  Wood, 
and  Baird.  The  steady  tramp  soon  broke  into  a  double- 
quick.  A  thousand  prisoners  were  taken  without  the  firing 
of  a  single  gun.  General  Sheridan  has  said  that  he  believed 
it  impossible  to  resist  the  effect  upon  the  nerves  of  that 
wavering,  glittering  mass  of  steel.  The  fire  from  the  moun 
tain  was  terrible,  but  the  Union  troops  advanced  with  the 
coolness  of  a  dress-parade.  Five  or  six  color- bearers  to  one 
flag  were  shot  down.  In  fifty-five  minutes  Sheridan  had  lost 
eleven  hundred  and  seventy- nine  men  out  of  six  thousand. 
But  Missionary  Ridge  was  carried  triumphantly,  in  a  charge 
which  has  been  called  "the  privates'  victory."  Four  soldiers 
bore  a  wounded  color-sergeant  on  a  blanket  to  the  rear. 
When  they  laid  him  down,  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Commission  knelt  beside  him,  and  said,  "  Sergeant,  where 
did  they  hit  you?"  —  "Most  up  the  Ridge,  sir."  —  "I  mean, 
sergeant,  where  did  the  ball  strike  you?"  —  "Within  twenty 
yards  of  the  top  —  almost  up."  —  "  No,  no,  sergeant,  think 
of  yourself  for  a  moment :  tell  me  where  you  are  wounded." 
His  friend  then  threw  back  the  sergeant's  blanket,  and 
found  his  shoulder  and  arm  torn  by  a  shell.  The  sergeant 
glanced  at  it  for  the  first  time,  then  said,  "  Yes,  that  is  what 
did  it.  I  was  hugging  the  standard  to  my  blouse,  and 
making  for  the  top  :  when  I  was  nearly  up,  the  shot  came. 
If  they  had  let  me  alone  a  little  longer,  —  two  minutes 
longer,  —  I  should  have  planted  the  colors  on  the  top. 
Almost  up  —  almost  up  "  And  so  he  died,  thinking,  not 
of  himself,  but  of  his  duty  and  his  country,  while  in  his  dull 


41  o      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1863. 

ears  were  ringing  the  victorious  shouts  of  his  comrades  who 
had  gained  the  top,  and  carried  the  day. 

Hooker  was  pounding  away  on  the  rebel  left  all  this 
time.  Bragg  had  tried  in  vain  to  rally  his  men  ;  and,  when 
there  was  no  longer  hope  of  victory,  he  fled  through  the 
valley,  followed  by  his  artillery  and  trains.  Sheridan  was  at 
his  heels,  but  Bragg  was  too  fleet  to  be  caught.  Chatta 
nooga,  Lookout  Mountain,  and  Missionary  Ridge  had  been 
taken,  beside  forty  cannon  and  six  thousand  prisoners.  The 
killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides  numbered  ten  thousand. 
After  the  battle,  a  young  Kentucky  boy  lay  wounded  in  the 
Ridge  hospital.  "Are  you  badly  hurt?"  the  chaplain  asked. 
"  Yes,  sir,"  he  answered  cheerfully.  "  I  hope  that  I  shall 
not  die,  but  it  is  a  good  cause  to  be  wounded  in." 

General  Thomas  remained  in  Chattanooga  in  command 
of  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland,  while  Grant  made 
his  headquarters  at  Nashville,  Term.  .Congress  voted  Gen 
eral  Grant  a  gold  medal  as  an  expression  of  the  value  which 
it  set  upon  his  services.  The  President  wrote  a  letter  of 
thanks  to  him  and  his  army.  Mr.  Lincoln  also  set  apart 
Dec.  7,  1863,  as  a  day  of  public  prayer  and  thanksgiving 
for  the  late  victories  which  had  crowned  the  Union  arms. 


x863-]  ///  Divers  and  Sundry  Places.  411 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

IN    DIVERS    AND    SUNDRY    PLACES. 

THE  Confederacy  was  very  much  like  the  ancient  fabled 
hydra :  when  one  of  its  hundred  heads  was  cut  off, 
another  grew  again.  So  no  sooner  was  one  point  captured 
than  up  sprang  a  band  of  rebels  in  another  place.  Ever 
since  the  war  began,  the  loyal  people  of  East  Tennessee 
had  suffered  cruel  persecution  for  their  love  of  the  Union. 
When,  therefore,  on  the  gth  of  September,  Burnside  entered 
Knoxville,  he  was  received  with  wild-  enthusiasm.  It  is  true 
that  he  encountered  small  bodies  of  Confederates  on  the 
march,  but  Bragg  needed  his  troops  at  Chattanooga  too 
much  to  waste  them  on  smaller  enterprises.  Burnside's 
route  lay  through  Cumberland  Gap,  which  had  been  for 
eighteen  months  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates.  General 
Shackleford  now  threatened  the  Gap  upon  one  side,  and 
Colonel  DeCourcy  upon  the  other :  so  when  Burnside  ap 
peared  and  joined  Shackleford,  the  Confederates  were  easily 
driven  out,  leaving  Cumberland  Gap  again  in  the  possession 
of  the  Nationals.  That  was  a  happy  day  for  the  Union 
refugees  hiding  in  the  mountains.  Old  men  wept  for  joy 
when  they  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  women  stood  by 
the  roadside  to  give  water  to  the  soldiers. 

One  day,  as  some  Union  officers  were  riding  along,  they 
met  a  bevy  of  boys  and  girls  returning  from  school.  By 
way  of  a  good-natured  joke,  one  officer  called  out,  in  a 
voice  intended  for  the  children  to  hear,  "Here  is  a  fine 


412     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1863. 

chance  to  take  some  rebel  prisoners  ! "  Instead  of  the 
stampede  which  was  expected,  the  eldest  of  the  party, 
a  girl  of  thirteen,  swung  her  old  sun-bonnet,  and  cried, 
"  There's  where  you  are  mistaken,  sir :  we  are  all  '  Yanks ' 
to  the  last  man." 

So  Burnside  occupied  Knoxville.  On  the  i4th  of  No 
vember  Bragg  sent  Longstreet  to  make  a  demonstration 
upon  the  place  ;  but,  meeting  a  stout  resistance,  he  withdrew. 
On  the  29th,  Longstreet  made  another  assault.  Again  the 
rebels  were  beaten,  but  with  a  heavy  loss  on  the  Union  side. 
General  Sanders  fell,  mortally  wounded.  Since  Burnside 
held  out  so  bravely,  Longstreet  determined  upon  a  siege. 
Luckily  the  garrison  was  supplied  with  three  weeks'  rations, 
which  enabled  it  to  hold  its  position  till  after  the  surrender 
of  Chattanooga. 

In  the  mean  time  Burnside  had  sent  word  to  Grant  that 
he  was  beleaguered,  and  before  that  tired  commander  slept 
on  the  night  of  the  victory  at  Missionary  Ridge,  he  wrote  to 
Sherman,  urging  him  to  hasten  to  the  relief  of  Knoxville. 
The  next  morning,  Sherman  was  off.  Although  his  troops 
were  nearly  exhausted,  they  made  the  march  of  eighty-four 
miles  without  resting,  and  arrived  on  Dec.  5,  to  find  that 
Longstreet  had  already  returned  to  Virginia.  Sherman  was 
surprised  to  find  the  garrison  living  very  comfortably,  en 
joying  luxuries  which  he  had  not  seen  for  many  a  day.  He 
growled  a  little,  because  he  had  hurried  his  worn-out  men  so 
fast,  while  the  besieged  garrison  was  so  far  from  starvation. 
As  he  was  no  longer  needed,  Sherman  returned  to  Chatta 
nooga,  and  soon  after  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Bridgeport. 
His  army  was  not  long  to  remaan  idle.  At  the  end  of 
January,  1864,  it  was  ordered  back  to  Vicksburg,  where,  co 
operating  with  McPherson  and  Hurlbut,  it  was  to  do  what 
ever  came  to  hand. 

On   the   3d  of   February,  Sherman   left  Vicksburg,  and 


1864.]  /;/  Divers  and  Stmdry  Places.  415 

began  a  campaign  to  destroy  rebel  property  and  communica 
tions,  and  to  cut  off  rebel  supplies ;  thus  driving  the  enemy 
from  that  region,  thus  freeing  the  Union  troops  which  were 
now  required  to  guard  it.  Sherman's  force  numbered  about 
twenty-three  thousand,  and  moved  in  two  columns.  The 
march  was  made  as  rapidly  and  with  as  little  baggage  as 
possible.  It  was  one  continual  skirmish ;  for  the  rebels 
were  as  thick  along  their  path  as  dandelions  in  the  spring. 
Let  us  follow  the  line  of  advance.  Crossing  the  Big  Black 
River,  they  marched  through  Jackson,  Miss.,  crossed  the  Pearl 
River,  and  pushed  on  through  Decatur  to  Meridian,  where 
General  William  Sooy  Smith  and  our  old  friend  Grierson 
were  to  join  Sherman.  Rebel  cavalry  were  always  at  hand 
to  annoy  the  advancing  armies.  One  day  Sherman  had  sta 
tioned  a  regiment  at  a  cross-roads  near  Decatur,  Ala.,  to  wait 
for  McPherson's  column  to  come  up.  Sherman,  in  the  mean 
time,  had  fallen  asleep  at  a  house  near  by,  where  he  was 
aroused  by  shots,  and  informed  that  the  house  was  surrounded 
by  rebel  cavalry.  With  some  of  his  staff,  Sherman  ran  to  a 
corn-crib  in  the  yard,  when  the  regiment  which  had  marched 
off  re-appeared,  and  put  the  rebels  to  flight.  It  seems  that 
General  McPherson  and  some  of  his  staff  rode  in  advance 
of  the  column ;  and  the  regiment,  having  mistaken  them  for 
the  main  column,  supposed  their  duty  done,  and  went  on. 
So  Sherman  narrowly  escaped  capture.  When  he  reached 
Meridian,  Smith  and  Grierson  were  not  there,  and,  although 
he  waited  a  week,  no  news  of  them  was  received.  That  week 
was  improved,  however ;  for  before  he  left  it  Sherman  had 
reduced  Meridian  to  a  pile  of  ruins.  Two  years  after,  a 
traveller,  in  passing  through  that  region,  asked  a  "  native  " 
whether  Sherman  injured  the  town  much.  "  Injured  ! " 
was  the  reply.  "  Why,  he  took  it  with  him  !  "  This  seems 
hard  ;  but  it  was  a  military  necessity,  for  Meridian  was  a  great 
workshop  and  storehouse  for  Confederate  arms  and  supplies. 


4i 6      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

Thinking  it  useless  to  wait  for  the  missing  generals,  Sher 
man  with  his  command  returned  to  Vicksburg.  Grierson 
and  Smith  meanwhile  had  started  later  than  their  orders 
required.  They  met  a  considerable  force  of  the  enemy  on 
the  way,  and  turned  back  to  Memphis,  followed  by  Forrest, 
who  engaged  them  in  a  sharp  battle,  and  won.  Even  though 
Smith  had  failed  of  what  he  intended,  he  was  able  to  do 
great  harm  to  rebel  property.  The  negroes  along  his  line 
of  march  were  nearly  wild  with  joy  at  his  approach,  and 
welcomed  him  as  their  deliverer.  One  old  man  cried,  "  God 
bless  ye  !  We've  been  a-lookin'  for  ye  a  long  time,  and  we'd 
a'most  done  gone  guv  it  up." 

Forrest  then  led  a  raid  through  Tennessee  and  Kentucky. 
He  seized  the  towns  of  Jackson  and  Union  City,  Term., 
then,  turning  north,  he  fell  upon  Paducah,  Ken.  The  com 
mander,  Colonel  S.  G.  Hicks,  refused  to  surrender ;  and, 
after  holding  out  manfully  with  his  small  garrison  for  two 
days,  the  invaders  were  scared  off  by  re-enforcements  from 
Cairo.  In  April,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  firing  of  the  first 
gun  at  Charleston,  Forrest  attacked  Fort  Pillow  on  the  Mis 
sissippi,  which  was  held  by  five  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
men,  half  of  whom  were  negroes. 

The  white  troops  were  commanded  by  Major  Bradford. 
Early  in  the  battle,  Major  Booth,  the  commander  of  the 
colored  troops,  was  killed ;  and  Major  Bradford  succeeded 
him  in  command.  At  noon  Forrest  sent  a  flag  of  truce, 
with  the  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  fort.  Bradford 
asked  for  an  hour  to  consult  with  the  other  officers;  and 
Forrest  violated  the  truce  by  moving,  in  the  mean  time,  to 
a  better  position  for  an  assault.  After  a  little  while  Forrest 
sent  another  flag,  with  a  message,  that,  unless  the  post  were 
surrendered  within  twenty  minutes,  he  would  storm  the 
works.  By  the  end  of  that  time  the  Confederates  had  crept 
up  to  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  Bradford  stoutly 


1864.]  In  Divers  and  Sundry  Places.  417 

refused  to  yield.  His  answer  was  received  with  yells.  The 
bugle  was  sounded,  and  the  rebels  rushed  over  the  fortifi 
cations  with  a  cry  of  "  No  quarter  !  "  Terror-stricken  and 
overpowered,  the  Union  troops  threw  down  their  arms,  and 
fled  before  the  enemy.  Like  a  band  of  Indians,  the  assail 
ants  butchered  men,  women,  and  little  children,  only  stop 
ping  in  their  dreadful  work  because  night  hid  their  victims 
from  their  sight.  Even  Confederate  officers  assisted  in  the 
massacre  of  Fort  Pillow,  as  if  it  were  a  pastime.  Old  men 
and  children,  even  the  sick  in  hospital,  were  made  targets 
for  their  skill ;  while  all  the  time  the  cry  of  "  No  quarter  !  " 
rang  in  the  ears  of  the  victims.  The  poor  negroes  were 
slain  in  the  most  savage  manner.  The  Confederate  general, 
Chalmers,  especially  distinguished  himself  in  this  affair.  The 
Confederate  report  ran  thus  :  "  One  hundred  prisoners  were 
taken,  and  the  balance  slain.  The  fort  ran  with  blood.  The 
Confederate  loss  was  seventy-five."  No  deeds  of  chivalry 
or  daring  may  wipe  from  the  escutcheon  of  General  Forrest 
the  dark  stain  left  upon  it  by  the  massacre  of  Fort  Pillow. 

Two  months  afterward  General  S.  D.  Sturgis  left  Mem 
phis  with  a  force  of  nine  thousand  infantry  and  artillery, 
and  three  thousand  cavalry  under  Grierson,  for  the  capture 
of  Forrest.  The  two  forces  met  at  Guntown  on  the  Mobile 
and  Ohio  Railway.  In  a  sharp  battle  the  Nationals  were 
routed  with  a  loss  of  three  thousand  men,  and  fled  in  wild 
confusion  toward  Memphis,  closely  followed  by  the  enemy. 

In  July,  General  A.  J.  Smith  was  beaten  by  Forrest  near 
Tupelo,  and  again  the  Union  troops  fell  back  to  Memphis. 
Forrest  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life ;  for  not  long  after 
he  dashed  into  the  very  streets  of  Memphis,  and  rode  up 
to  the  Gayoso  House,  intending  to  capture  some  of  the  Fed 
eral  generals  whom  he  supposed  to  be  there.  He  did  carry 
off  several  staff-officers  and  three  hundred  soldiers,  but 
he  missed  the  prize  which  he  sought.  So  cleverly,  however, 


41 8     Young"  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

did  Forrest  perform  this  feat,  that  he  was  off  before  one 
of  the  six  thousand  soldiers  in  and  around  Memphis  knew 
of  his  presence. 

Early  in  January,  1864,  General  Halleck  ordered  an  ex 
pedition  to  the  Red  River  country  to  cut  off  the  supplies 
which  still  continued  to  reach  the  Confederates  from  that 
quarter.  It  took  a  long  time  to  organize  an  expedition  so 
difficult,  and  it  was  March  before  the  different  armies  began 
to  move.  Away  above  Alexandria,  in  the  north-west  corner 
of  Louisiana,  is  Shreveport,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Red 
River.  To  the  capture  of  this  town,  which  was  in  reality 
the  base  of  supply  for  the  rebel  army,  Halleck  especially 
looked.  By  consulting  your  map  you  will  see  that  it  can 
be  reached  in  three  different  ways.  Admiral  Porter  had 
collected  a  fine  fleet  of  monitors,  rams,  gunboats,  and  other 
vessels;  and  on  the  i2th  of  March  he  awaited  orders  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Red  River,  where  he  was  joined  by  Gen 
eral  A.  J.  Smith  with  ten  thousand  troops  borrowed  from 
Sherman.  The  land  forces  from  New  Orleans  were  intrusted 
by  General  Banks  to  General  Franklin,  whom  we  last  met 
at  Fredericksburg.  General  Steele  was  also  ordered  to  co 
operate  with  Banks  by  way  of  Little  Rock,  Ark.  The  whole' 
fleet,  thirty-eight  vessels  altogether,  anchored  at  the  site  of 
Semmesport  on  the  Red  River.  The  troops  landed,  and, 
marching  toward  Fort  De  Russy,  assaulted  and  carried  it, 
destroying  the  works.  They  then  re-embarked,  and  steamed 
up  to  Alexandria.  As  the  rebels  retreated  before  them,  they 
destroyed  two  steamboats  and  a  quantity  of  cotton.  The 
Red  River  is  only  navigable  for  large  vessels  in  the  months 
of  March  and  April,  and  the  water  was  already  beginning 
to  fall.  There  are  some  rapids  in  it  at  Alexandria,  over 
which  Porter  with  difficulty  forced  his  iron-clads,  leaving 
some  of  the  heaviest  below.  Added  to  this  misfortune, 
General  McPherson  had  found  it  necessary  to  recall  a  part 


1864.  ]  In  Divers  and  Sundry  Places.  419 

of  Smith's  command  for  special  duty  on  the  Mississippi.  It 
was  also  found  that  General  Steele  could  not  assist  Banks 
as  had  been  intended.  So  Banks's  army  dwindled  down  to 
about  one-third  of  its  original  proportions.  On  the  4th  of 
April,  Franklin  arrived  at  Natchitoches  with  the  van  of  his 
army.  Porter  found  it  impossible  to  get  farther  than  Grand 
Ecore,  four  miles  to  the  north  of  Natchitoches,  on  the  pres 
ent  channel  of  the  Red  River.  Since  the  river  could  not  be 
employed  to  forward  troops  or  supplies,  a  baggage-train  was 
added  to  the  marching  column,  which  pushed  on  through 
the  sandy  pine-barrens,  toward  Shreveport,  Although  the 
march  had  not  been  free  from  skirmishing,  the  enemy  had 
not  offered  a  stubborn  resistance.  Banks  felt  confident  of 
success.  On  the  8th  of  April,  however,  he  encountered  a 
force  of  Confederates  at  Sabine  Cross-roads,  which  drove 
the  advance-guard  back  upon  the  wagon-train  ;  and,  as  the 
infantry  marched  last  of  all,  it  was  impossible  to  get  it  up 
past  the  wagons  to  support  the  cavalry.  A  general  engage 
ment  followed ;  but  the  road  was  so  blockaded,  that  gallant 
fighting  in  such  an  irregular  way  went  for  nothing.  The 
Union  troops  fell  back  in  confusion  for  three  miles,  when 
the  Nineteenth  Corps  formed  in  order  of  battle,  and  checked 
their  flight.  The  rebels  fell  upon  the  Nineteenth,  but  with 
out  much  effect. 

So  they  withdrew  to  wait  till  morning.  In  the  night  Banks 
retired  to  Pleasant  Hill,  having  suffered  heavy  loss  in  both 
men  and  stores.  The  next  day  a  hard  battle  was  fought  and 
won  by  the  Federals.  Although  the  enemy  was  driven  from 
the  field,  Banks  fell  back  to  Grand  Ecore  with  the  rebel 
cavalry  at  his  heels.  The  next  thing  was  to  get  the  gun 
boats  down  the  river  again,  for  the  water  was  even  lower 
than  when  they  went  up.  When  Porter  was  at  his  wits'  end, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Joseph  Bailey  proposed  to  build  a  series 
of  dams  across  the  rocks  at  the  falls,  thus  raising  the  water 


420     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     1.1864. 

high  enough  to  let  the  vessels  pass  over  in  safety,  just  as 
locks  are  used  in  canals.  Porter  and  Banks  were  hearty  in 
their  support  of  the  plan,  but  the  best  engineers  called  it 
madness.  Three  thousand  men,  with  more  than  two  hun 
dred  wagons,  were  immediately  set  at  work.  After  eight 
days  of  hard  work,  when  the  dams  were  nearly  done,  the 
pressure  of  the  water  swept  away  a  portion  of  their  support. 
Seizing  the  opportunity,  Porter  ordered  the  Lexington  to 
pass  over  with  the  rushing  water.  Steadily  she  steered  for 
the  opening.  It  seemed  as  if  the  whirlpool  must  carry  her 
down.  "The  silence  was  so  great,  as  the  Lexington  ap 
proached  the  dam,  that  a  pin  might  almost  have  been  heard 
to  fall.  She  entered  the  gap  with  a  full  head  of  steam  on, 
pitched  down  the  roaring  torrent,  made  two  or  three  spas 
modic  rolls,  hung  for  a  moment  on  the  rocks  below,  was 
then  swept  into  deep  water  by  the  currents,  and  rounded 
safely  into  the  bank.  Thirty  thousand  voices  rose  in  one 
deafening  cheer."  The  Neosho,  Osage,  and  Hinman  fol 
lowed.  In  three  days  the  dams  were  repaired,  and  the  other 
vessels  came  safely  over  the  rocks.  On  the  i3th  of  May 
army  and  fleet  had  left  Alexandria,  and  the  Red  River 
expedition  was  abandoned.  The  town  of  Alexandria  was 
left  in  flames.  Let  us  hope,  for  the  honor  of  the  Union 
cause,  that  helpless  old  men,  women,  and  children  were  not 
made  homeless  by  the  defenders  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

In  March,  General  Steele  had  left  Little  Rock  to  join 
Banks's  expedition.  By  a  flank  movement  he  had  captured 
the  town  of  Camden,  Ark.  But  Banks's  failure  had  left 
the  Confederates  free  to  operate  in  that  State.,  The  safety 
of  Steele's  command  was  endangered ;  and  he  retreated 
to  Little  Rock,  having  narrowly  escaped  capture  with  his 
half-starved  army.  The  withdrawal  of  Steele  opened  once 
more  the  way  for  the  invasion  of  Missouri.  General  Price's 
guerillas  swarmed  over  the  country,  and  his  army  threa- 


i864-l  ///  Divers  and  Sundry  Places.  421 

tened  the  larger  cities.  At  last  he  started  for  Kansas ;  but 
Curtis  met  him,  and  Rosecrans  followed  him :  so  he  again 
turned  south  toward  the  Osage  River.  General  Pleasanton, 
then  in  command  at  Jefferson  City,  sent  General  Sanborn 
in  pursuit  of  Price ;  and  after  a  severe  fight,  on  the  25th  of 
October,  the  rebels  were  badly  beaten.  Generals  Marma- 
duke  and  Cabell  were  captured ;  while  Price  and  his  men 


DEATH    OF    MORGAN. 

fled  from  Missouri,  and  never  afterward  made  an  attempt 
to  enter  that  State. 

During  this  summer  John  Morgan  rode  again  through 
Kentucky,  repeating  with  variations  the  old  story  of  de 
struction.  At  length  he  entered  East  Tennessee,  where  he 
was  surprised  by  a  Union  force  under  General  Gillem.  The 
house  in  which  Morgan  had  taken  refuge  was  surrounded. 
He  ran  out  to  hide  in  a  vineyard  near  by,  when  a  soldier 
ordered  him  to  halt.  Morgan  drew  his  pistol,  but  before 
he  could  fire  a  Union  bullet  had  pierced  his  heart. 


422      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1864. 

In  connection  with  the  Red  River  expedition,  it  is  only 
honest  to  own  that  it  brought  reproach  and  shame  with  it. 
The  war  seemed  to  develop  all  that  was  both  good  and 
bad  in  human  nature,  as  thunder-storms  bring  out  of  the 
ground  both  blades  of  grass  and  poisonous  weeds.  While 
earnest,  self-sacrificing  men  and  women  devoted  their  lives 
and  their  money  to  their  country,  bad,  grasping  men  used 
the  war  as  only  a  means  of  filling  their  purses.  Cotton  was 
very  dear  and  scarce  ;  and  a  motley  company  of  hangers-on, 
armed  with  passes,  went  with  Banks 's  army  for  the  purpose 
of  taking,  not  buying,  cotton  which  did  not  belong  to  them. 
In  other  words,  they  wished  to  enrich  themselves  at  the  cost 
of  hungry  women  and  children,  whose  protectors  were 
known  to  be  absent  from  them. 

It  was  such  men  who  manufactured  shoes  with  worthless 
paper  soles  for  the  soldiers,  and  made  cloth  for  them  from 
refuse  wool,  and  old  rags  beaten  into  shreds,  instead  of 
honest  yarn.  This  cloth  was  called  "shoddy,"  which  means 
something  which  appears  to  be  what  it  really  is  not.  Since 
the  war,  we  often  hear  that  word  applied  to  people  who  make 
a  show  of  something  which  they  do  not  actually  possess. 

While  Sherman  was  advancing  upon  Meridian,  and  Banks 
was  operating  on  the  Red  River,  General  Gillmore  led  an 
expedition  into  Florida.  He  set  sail  from  Hilton  Head  on 
the  5th  of  February.  The  Union  troops  landed  at  Jackson 
ville,  on  the  St.  John's  River,  so  completely  surprising  the 
enemy  that  no  resistance  was  made.  They  then  marched 
to  Baldwin,  eighteen  miles  west,  where  General  Gillmore 
left  General  Seymour  in  command,  and  returned  to  Hilton 
Head.  There  was  an  understanding  that  no  farther  advance 
should  be  made  at  present.  Seymour,  however,  took  the 
responsibility  of  marching  into  the  enemy's  country  without 
orders  and  without  supplies.  On  the  igth  he  encountered 
the  Confederates  in  force.  He  was  obliged  to  fight  on  a 


1864.]  ///  Divers  and  Sundry  Places.  423 

battle-ground  of  the  enemy's  selection,  and  was  defeated 
with  heavy  loss,  although  the  troops,  both  black  and  white, 
fought  nobly.  Seymour  retreated  to  Jacksonville,  and  no 
further  active  operations  were  attempted  in  the  interior  of 
Florida. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  a  rough-looking  sergeant  who 
had  seen  hard  fighting  at  the  West  was  recommended  for  a 
lieutenancy  in  the  regular  army.  His  company  officers  had 
all  been  killed  ;  and  his  bravery  and  skill  in  handling  his  men 
under  fire  had  inspired  the  admiration  of  the  officers  of  his 
regiment,  brigade,  and  division,  all  of  whom  joined  in  the 
recommendation.  In  worn  and  tattered  uniform  he  pre 
sented  himself  before  an  Examining  Board  at  Washington. 
Whether  they  had  ever  seen  service  or  not,  the  officers  com 
posing  the  board  were  well  versed  in  military  tactics.  They 
examined  him  as  to  engineering,  mathematics,  philosophy, 
and  ordnance ;  and  not  a  question  could  the  poor  sergeant 
answer.  "What  is  an  echelon  ?  "  was  asked.  "  Don't  know," 
he  answered.  "An  abatis  ?  "  was  the  next  question.  " Never 
saw  one."  —  "  Well,  sir,  what  is  a  hollow  square  ?  "  —  "  You 
fellows  have  got  me  again,"  said  the  sergeant  sorrowfully. 
"  Guess  they  don't  have  them  out  West."  — "  Well,  what 
would  you  do  in  command  of  a  company,  if  the  cavalry  should 
charge  on  you?"  —  "  I'd  give  them  Hail  Columbia,  that  is 
what  I'd  do,"  he  answered  with  flashing  eyes  ;  "and  I'd  make 
a  hollow  square  in  every  mother's  son  of  'em."  A  few  more 
questions  were  asked,  but  not  answered,  and  the  examination 
was  closed.  The  record  was  sent  to  Mr.  Lincoln  with  the 
official  opinion  that  the  sergeant  would  not  do  for  an  officer. 
The  President's  secretary  read  the  report  to  him ;  and,  when 
he  came  to  the  only  answer  that  the  sergeant  had  given,  he 
exclaimed,  "That's  just  the  sort  of  men  that  our  army  wants  ! " 
'Faking  up  his  pen,  the  President  wrote  on  the  back  of  the 
paper,  "  Give  this  man  a  captain's  commission.  —  A.  Lincoln" 


424     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War,    [1864. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

A    PULL    ALL    TOGETHER. 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  just  as  a  class  in  mathematics  was 
assembling  in  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point, 
some  of  his  classmates  presented  Cadet  Grant  with  a  very 
small  alarm-clock.  A  little  puzzled  by  their  unusual  gener 
osity  perhaps,  but  quite  unsuspicious,  he  put  the  thing  in 
his  pocket.  The  recitation  began,  and  the  innocent  victim 
of  the  plot  was  solving  a  knotty  problem  at  the  blackboard, 
when,  "  Whirr,  whirr  !  "  went  the  alarm.  The  guilty  rogues 
who  had  planned  the  mischief  tried  to  look  unconscious. 
The  professor  was  amazed  and  furious.  Young  Grant,  alone, 
was  cool  and  unembarrassed.  In  the  midst  of  the  confu 
sion  which  followed,  he  stepped  quietly  to  an  open  window, 
and  tossed  the  clock  out,  resuming  his  blackboard  exercise 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  The  presence  of  mind  which 
then  served  the  young  cadet  had  since  helped  him  over 
many  hard  places,  and  now  fitted  the  successful  general  to 
lead  others. 

The  North  clamored  loudly  for  a  man  at  the  head  of  mili 
tary  affairs  who  should  press  the  advantage  already  gained, 
and  speedily  bring  the  war  to  a  happy  ending.  Naturally 
all  eyes  turned  toward  General  Grant,  and  President  Lin 
coln  cheerfully  confirmed  the  people's  choice.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  Qth  of  March,  therefore,  in  the  presence  of 
the  cabinet,  General  Halleck,  General  Grant's  staff,  and  his 
eldest  son,  Fred,  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant  was  appointed 


GENERAL    GRANT. 


i864.j  A  Pull  All  Together.  427 

Commander-in-Chief  of  all  the  armies  of  the  United  States, 
with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general.  General  Scott  had  held 
that  grade  by  brevet;  but  he  had  only  retained  the  "  rank, 
pay,  and  allowance  "  of  a  major-general  in  the  regular  army. 
The  long  unused  title,  which  had  belonged  fully  to  no  one 
but  General  Washington,  was  now  revived  for  General  Grant. 
Three  days  later  Halleck  was  relieved,  and  made  chief-of- 
staff  to  the  new  lieutenant-general. 

No  important  military  operations  marked  the  beginning 
of  the  year  1864.  North  of  the  Rapidan  the  white  tents  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  clustered  around  Culpeper  Court- 
House,  where  Grant  and  Meade  made  their  headquarters. 
On  the  bluff  banks  across  the  river  lay  the  Army  of  North 
ern  Virginia,  watching. 

Early  in  February,  General  Butler  sent  General  Wistar 
upon  an  expedition  to  attempt  the  release  of  the  Union  pris 
oners  in  Richmond.  General  Meade  was  absent  from  the 
army  at  the  time ;  but  Sedgwick  readily  seconded  his  effort, 
and  sent  Kilpatrick  to  assist  him.  Through  an  escaped 
prisoner,  the  secret  got  out ;  so  that  the  raiders  were  met  by 
a  superior  Confederate  force,  and  driven  back.  But  rumors 
of  the  miserable  condition  of  Union  prisoners  continued  to 
reach  their  comrades.  It  was  about  this  time  that  Colonel 
Streight  made  his  way  out  of  Libby  prison  by  tunnelling 
with  a  butcher-knife,  and  his  sufferings  may  have  helped  to 
fire  the  soldiers'  hearts. 

On  the  28th  of  February,  Kilpatrick  again  crossed  the 
Rapidan,  upon  the  same  mission.  At  Spottsylvania,  Colonel 
Ulric  Dahlgren,  with  a  hundred  followers,  left  the  main  force, 
and  turned  to  the  right,  in  order  to  strike  Richmond  from 
the  south.  Kilpatrick  advanced  rapidly,  fighting  often.  He 
reached  the  outer  fortifications  of  Richmond,  but  not  hear 
ing  from  Dahlgren,  and  not  having  enough  men  to  assault 
alone,  he  withdrew  to  a  safer  distance.  He  was  soon  at- 


428      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1864. 

tacked,  and  driven  back  across  the  Chickahominy.  But 
Ulric  Dahlgren  never  came.  A  negro  guide,  either  acci 
dentally  or  purposely,  led  him  the  wrong  way ;  for  which 
Dahlgren  hung  him  as  soon  as  the  mistake  was  discovered, 
believing  that  the  man  had  meant  to  betray  him.  Soon 
after  Dahlgren  had  penetrated  the  outer  line  of  works,  he 
was  discovered.  He  was  surrounded,  but  fought  his  way 
out,  and  fled  toward  the  Chickahominy.  He  was  hotly  pur 
sued,  and  killed  in  a  battle  on  the  Mattapony  River.  When 
a  messenger  bore  the  tidings  of  his  son's  death  to  Xenophon, 
the  Greek  historian,  he  found  the  old  man  wearing  a  crown 
upon  his  head.  But  when  he  heard  the  news  he  dashed  the 
crown  to  his  feet  in  an  agony  of  grief;  then,  turning  to  the 
messenger  he  said,  "How  did  my  son  die?"  —  "Fighting 
the  foes  of  his  country  to  the  last,"  was  the  answer.  Upon 
this,  the  aged  father  again  put  the  crown  upon  his  head,  and 
said,  "Theirl  have  no  cause  to  mourn."  So  might  Admiral 
Dahlgren  have  received  the  news  of  the  death  of  his  young 
and  only  son.  But  twenty-two  years  of  age,  brave  and 
loyal,  Ulric  Dahlgren  had  eagerly  hailed  the  privilege  of 
leading  his  followers  to  deliver  the  prisoners  at  Richmond. 
An  attempt  was  made  to  justify  the  cruel  insults  which  the 
rebels  heaped  upon  the  poor  boy's  body  after  death,  by 
charging  upon  him  a  conspiracy  to  burn  Richmond  and 
murder  the  Confederate  leaders.  But  the  papers  which  they 
pretended  to  find  upon  him  were  proved  to  be  forgeries. 
Dahlgren's  followers  were  threatened  with  death,  and  only 
the  fact  that  a  son  of  General  Lee  was  a  prisoner  in  the 
Union  lines  saved  their  lives. 

No  sooner  was  Grant  placed  in  command  than  he  began 
to  lay  plans  for  a  final  campaign.  Like  a  chess-player,  he 
chose  a  method  of  attack,  and  grouped  his  pieces.  The 
moves  of  his  antagonist  could  only  be  guessed  at,  it  is  true. 
But  Grant  knew  that  there  were  some  things  which  Lee  must 


i864.. 


A  Pull  All  Together. 


429 


do,  and  he  meant  to  force  Lee  to  do  others.  One  thing, 
however,  Grant  was  determined  upon.  After  a  series  of 
independent  operations  in  their  present  positions,  he  would 
unite  the  armies  of  the  East  and  West  in  a  grand  movement. 
To  accomplish  the  desired  end,  Grant  ordered  an  advance 
in  every  department  upon  the  same  day.  Promptly  at  the 
time  appointed,  Wednesday,  May  4,  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 


WILDERNESS. 


mac  marched  to  the  Rapidan.  Its  five  corps  had  been 
reduced  to  three,  commanded  by  Hancock,  Sedgwick,  and 
General  Gouverneur  K.  Warren ;  Sheridan  being  in  charge 
of  the  cavalry.  When  night  came  they  had  crossed  the 
river,  and  were  once  more  in  the  Wilderness,  not  far  from 
Chancellorsville.  Lee,  well  aware  of  their  movements,  was 
advancing  in  force  to  meet  them.  His  army,  numbering 
sixty  thousand  men,  was  also  divided  into  three  corps,  under 
Longstreet,  Ewell,  and  A.  P.  Hill.  Stuart  commanded  the 
Confederate  cavalry.  That  night  Grant  and  Lee  slept  only 
three  miles  apart. 


430      Voting  folks'  History  of  the  Civil  \Var.    [1864. 

It  had  been  Grant's  intention  to  inarch  through  the 
Wilderness,  to  the  rear  of  Lee's  army,  not  looking  for  an 
attack  here  :  so  Warren's  column  had  begun  to  move  very 
early  on  the  morning  of  May  5,  when  Kwell  fell  upon 
it  with  great  violence.  Sedgwick  hastened  to  Warren's 
relief,  taking  a  gallant  part  in  the  battle,  that  raged  until 
four  in  the  afternoon.  General  Alexander  Hayes  was  killed. 
At  nightfall  both  sides  rested  on  their  arms.  Neither  com 
mander  thought  of  retreat.  During  the  night  Lee  was  re- 
enforced  by  the  arrival  of  Longstreet,  and  Burnside  joined 
Grant.  At  five  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Friday,  the  6th, 
Kvvell  and  Sedgwick  swept  forward,  meeting  with  a  crash. 
Hancock  and  Hill  struck  each  other  soon  after,  on  the 
Union  left.  Hancock  drove  Hill  back  a  mile  and  a  half, 
when  Lee,  seeing  the  danger,  dashed  to  the  head  of  the 
Confederates,  to  urge  them  on.  Hut,  fearing  for  his  safety, 
his  men  refused  to  move  until  he  retired  from  the  front. 
Most  unwillingly  Lee  withdrew,  but  his  example  had  done 
its  work.  The  next  moment  the  rebels  rallied,  driving  the 
Federals  before  them.  General  Wadsworth  was  mortally 
wounded,  foiling  into  the  enemy's  hands.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  war  he  offered  his  "  purse  and  his  person  "  to  the 
Government.  Although  nearly  seventy  years  of  age  at  that 
time,  General  Wadsworth  had  served  his  country  faithfully. 

Longstreet  now  pressed  his  troops  to  the  front.  The 
fighting  was  severe,  —  such  fighting  as  was  unknown  outside 
of  Indian  warfare.  Cavalry  was  almost  useless.  The  trees 
and  undergrowth  were  so  dense,  that  it  required  an  expert 
rider  to  keep  his  seat  in-the  saddle.  The  ground  was  piled 
up  with  the  slain.  The  woods  were  on  fire  in  many  places ; 
and  the  sulphurous  smoke  of  powder  made  that  hot,  close 
atmospftere  almost  unendurable.  Artillery  was  in  the  way. 
Men  clubbed  each  other  with  muskets,  often  too  near  to  fire. 

At  noon  Longstreet  rode  to  the  front.     As  ho  came  into 


i864.]  A  Pull  All  Together.  431 

a  clearing,  he  met  an  old  friend,  General  Jenkins,  whom  he 
had  not  seen  for  years.  Supposing  them  to  be  Federals,  a 
party  of  Confederates  in  ambush  fired  upon  them,  killing 
Jenkins,  and  wounding  Longstreet.  This  occurred  not  six 
miles  from  the  spot  where  poor  "  Stonewall "  Jackson  met 
his  death  the  year  previous.  Lee  then  took  the  field.  Han 
cock,  in  the  mean  while,  had  been  throwing  up  intrench- 
ments,  behind  which  he  was  resting  his  troops.  Suddenly 
the  wind  fanned  into  flame  the  smouldering  brush,  driving 
the  lire  upon  them.  Taking  advantage  of  Hancock's  mis 
fortune,  the  rebels  rushed  on  him  with  yells,  swarming  over 
his  parapet,  and  planting  their  flag  upon  it.  They  were 
gallantly  driven  back,  but  not  without  a  sharp  fight.  It 
must  have  been  then  that  some  brave  fellow  began  to 

sing,  - 

"  We'll  rally  round  the  flag,  hoys, 

We'll  rally  once  again, 
Shouting  the  haltlc-cry  of  Freedom  !  " 

The  chorus  was  caught  up  by  his  comrades  ;  then  the  next 
regiment  in  the  line  joined  in  the  refrain,— 

"  The  Union,  forever  !     Hurrah,  hoys,  hurrah  !  " 

Until  above  the  roar  and  din  of  battle  rose  the  soul-inspiring 
song. 

Just  at  dark  Generals  Seymour  and  Shaler  were  surprised, 
and  with  their  entire  brigades  captured,  —  three  thousand  in 
all.  When  night  came  on,  Grant  had  lost  fifteen  thousand 
men  in  killed  and  wounded.  Lee's  loss  was  one-third  less. 
The  next  day  nobody  seemed  to  be  anxious  to  begin  fight 
ing.  Neither  army  moved  from  its  position.  During  the 
day  Grant  received  news  that  Sherman  had  advanced  toward 
Atlanta,  and  that  Butler  was  on  his  way  from  Fortress  Mon 
roe,  up  the  James  River,  to  City  Point.  This,  at  least,  was 
encouraging. 


432      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War,    [1864. 


Marching-orders  had  been  issued  that  day,  and  soon  after 
dark  the  Union  army  started  for  Spottsylvania  Court-House. 
It  was  Saturday,  May  7,  only  three  days  after  the  crossing 
of  the  Rapidan.  Grant  and  Meade,  with  a  slender  escort, 
followed  later  in  the  evening.  A  cavalryman  whom  they 
met  asked  where  they '  were  going.  "  To  Spottsylvania," 
was  the  answer.  "  I  reckon  you'll  have  a  scrimmage  before 
you  get  through,"  he  said.  "Why?"  —  "-Well,  nothin' in 
pertic'ler,"  was  the  answer,  "  except  that  there  are  forty  or 


SPOTTSYIVANIA. 


fifty  thousand  rebels  in  front  of  you,  and  I  reckon  there's 
work  to  be  done."  The  man  was  right.  Suspecting  Grant's 
intention,  Lee  had  got  ahead  of  him,  reaching  the  goal  first. 
When  Grant  arrived  at  Spottsylvania,  Lee  was  in  possession 
of  a  ridge  which  divides  the  little  hamlet. 

Warren's  troops  were  more  than  half  inclined  to  run  when 
they  found  themselves  under  fire,  as  they  entered  the  town ; 
but  Sedgwick  soon  came  to  his  support,  and  lines  of  battle 
were  formed  in  the  midst  of  whizzing  bullets.  All  Monday, 
May  9,  was  spent  in  getting  ready  to  fight.  In  the  morning 
General  Sedgwick,  who  was  field-commander,  noticed  that 


I864.J  A  Pull  All  Together.  433 

the  men  winced  under  the  bullets  which  hailed  around 
them.  "  Pooh,  pooh,  men  !  "  he  said  pleasantly.  "  Why, 
they  couldn't  hit  an  elephant  at  that  distance."  The  men 
laughed ;  and  Colonel  McMahon,  chief-of-staff,  made  some 
remark  to  the  general,  but  received  no  answer.  He  turned, 
and  saw  the  smile  fade  from  Sedgwick's  face  as  he  reeled 
backwards  ;  and,  catching  the  general  in  his  arms,  McMahon 
saw  that  he  was  dead.  A  bullet  had  pierced  his  brain. 
General  Sedgwick  was  a  good  soldier,  and  well  beloved  by 
officers  and  men.  Grant  felt  that  his  loss  was  a  great  mis 
fortune.  Brigadier-General  Horatio  G.  Wright  succeeded 
to  Sedgwick's  command. 

Tuesday,  the  loth,  the  battle  began  at  daybreak;  and 
although  it  lasted  all  day,  excepting  for  an  hour  it  was  not 
very  severe.  It  was  then  that  Grant  sent  the  famous  de 
spatch,  "  I  propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it  takes  all 
summer."  This  message  of  the  commanding  general  stirred 
the  nation,  and  was  echoed  in  a  campaign  song,  the  refrain 
of  which  was,  — 

"We'll  fight  it  out  here  on  the  old  Union  line, 
No  odds  if  it  take  us  all  summer." 

The  "  line  "  to  which  Grant  referred  was  one  by  which  he 
could  keep  his  army  between  Lee  and  Washington,  still 
crowding  the  enemy  toward  Richmond. 

Wednesday,  the  nth,  there  was  more  fighting  of  the  same 
kind.  Very  early  on  the  i2th,  before  a  ray  of  light  had 
streaked  the  sky,  Hancock's  corps  was  noiselessly  moved 
toward  a  weak  point  in  the  enemy's  lines.  The  fog  was  so 
thick,  that  not  a  soul  could  be  seen ;  and  the  wet  ground 
deadened  the  sound  of  the  men's  feet.  Firing  no  shot,  they 
swept  over  the  Confederate  pickets.  Then,  with  shouts, 
away  they  went  over  the  breastworks  into  the  rebel  camp, 
where  they  found  the  men  at  breakfast.  In  spite  of  their 


434      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1864. 

surprise,  however,  the  Confederates  rallied,  and  fought  brave 
ly.  Hancock  captured  four  thousand  prisoners  in  a  twin 
kling,  including  the  famous  "  Stonewall  Brigade."  Generals 
Edward  Johnson  and  George  H.  Stewart  were  taken.  The 
latter  was  an  old  friend  of  General  Hancock.  "  How  are 
you,  Stewart?"  said  the  Union  commander,  offering  his 
hand  to  his  former  comrade.  "  I  am  General  Stewart  of  the 
Confederate  army,"  the  prisoner  replied;  "and  under  the 
circumstances  I  decline  to  take  your  hand." — :"And  under 
any  other  circumstances,  General,"  returned  Hancock,  "  I 
should  not  have  offered  it." 

Ewell's  corps  was  now  in  great  danger,  and  Hill  and  Long- 
street  rallied  to  its  rescue.  The  Confederates  made  five  dis 
tinct  assaults  to  recover  their  lost  "  salient,"  or  angle  of 
fortifications,  but  were  every  time  gallantly  repulsed.  Grant 
had  ordered  a  general  attack  to  keep  them  from  overwhelm 
ing  Hancock  with  numbers.  With  the  loss  of  ten  thousand 
on  each  side,  the  only  point  gained  was  the  captured  salient, 
which  Hancock  held  to  the  very  end.  During  the  battle, 
General  Rice,  a  brigade  commander  in  the  Union  army,  was 
carried  to  the  rear,  mortally  wounded.  After  the  surgeon 
had  attended  to  his  wounds,  he  tried  to  soothe  his  patient's 
sufferings.  The  sounds  of  battle  rose  and  fell  on  his  dull 
ear,  and  his  dim  eyes  were  almost  closed  in  death,  when  he 
said  faintly,  "Turn  me  over."  —  "Which  way?"-— "Let  me 
die  with  my  face  to  the  enemy,"  said  the  dying  general. 

On  the  2ist  of  May,  Grant  took  up  his  line  of  march  for 
the  North  Anna  River ;  but,  as  usual,  Lee  had  guessed  his 
intention,  and  was  there  before  him.  After  some  hard  fight 
ing,  Lee  allowed  Grant  to  cross  at  two  fords  four  miles  apart, 
and  then  pushed  his  own  army  between  the  two  Union  col 
umns,  and  Grant  was  obliged  to  recross  in  order  to  unite 
his  divided  army.  Both  Lee  and  Grant  had  received  re- 
enforcements  after  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania :  so  their  rela- 


i864-] 


A  Pull  All  Together. 


435 


tive  strength  was  still  the  same.  In  order  to  reach  the  White 
House,  where  Grant  wished  to  establish  his  base  of  supply, 
he  was  forced  to  make  a  wide  circuit  around  the  enemy. 
He  therefore  crossed  the  Pamunkey  River  at  Hanovertown, 
fifteen  miles  from  Richmond,  and  moved  his  wagon-train  to 
the  White  House.  Lee,  thus  released,  quickly  fell  back  to 
ward  Richmond. 

pearly  a  month  before,  when  Grant  reached  Spottsylvania, 
he  had  hurried  Sheridan  off  to  cut  Lee's  communication  with 


Richmond.  Sheridan  first  made  a  feint  of  going  in  another 
direction  ;  but  scarcely  had  he  turned  around  to  go  upon 
his  real  errand  when  General  "  Jeb  "  Stuart  was  at  his  heels. 
Sheridan,  nevertheless,  managed  to  destroy  several  miles  of 
railway  and  "rolling-stock,"  as  we  sometimes  call  cars  and 
locomotives.  He  also  seized  and  freed  four  hundred  Union 
prisoners  on  their  way  to  rebel  prisons.  Near  Richmond  he 
encountered  Stuart  in  a  sharp  battle,  in  which  the  latter  was 
mortally  wounded.  Another  commander  so  skilful  and  so  dar 
ing  would  be  hard  to  find  in  the  Confederate  military  family, 


436     Young  Folks '  History  of  the  Civil  War.     [1864. 


and  Stuart's  loss  was  deeply  felt.     Sheridan  carried  the  first 

line  of  fortifications  before  Richmond,  as  others  had  done ; 

but,  like  them,  he  was  repulsed  at  the  second.    He  therefore 

recrossed  the  Chickahominy,  and  returned  to  the  main  army. 
On  the  3ist  of  May,  by  a  bold  dash,  Sheridan  captured 

Cold  Harbor,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  "Cool  Arbor," 

and  held  it  against  great  odds. 

The  Union  army  was  already  on  the  north  bank  of  the 

Chickahominy.     Grant  wished  to  cross  near  Cold  Harbor ; 

but  in  order  to  do 
so  he  must  dislodge 
Lee,  who  lay  in  his 
path.  He  therefore 
sent  Wright  with  the 
Sixth  Corps  to  assist 
Sheridan  in  holding 
his  position.  At  the 


same  time  a  force  of 
sixteen  thousand 
men,  which  had  ar 
rived  from  Butler's 
army,  was  also  or 
dered  to  Sheridan's 
relief.  The  enemy 

was  likewise  re-enforced  by  troops  under  Breckinridge.  On 
the  afternoon  of  June  i,  Wright  and  W.  F.  Smith  attacked 
the  Confederates,  taking  six  hundred  prisoners ;  but  they 
could  not  drive  Lee  beyond  his  first  line  of  works,  nor  could 
Lee  retake  Cold  Harbor.  Grant  then  determined  to  force  a 
passage  across  the  Chickahominy.  At  half-past  four  on  the 
morning  of  June  3  the  whole  strength  of  both  armies  stood 
in  battle-array.  Each  side  had  thrown  up  such  rude  breast 
works  as  the  soldiers  could  make  with  the  material  at  hand, 
often  using  their  tin  cups  for  tools.  The  Federals  made  a 


i864-]  A  Pit II  All  Together.  437 

bold  and  sudden  assault.  The  Confederates  grimly  received 
it  behind  their  intrenchments  with  a  sheet  of  flame.  In 
fifteen  minutes  Barlow  alone  lost  one-third  of  his  division. 
In  an  hour  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been  repulsed 
again,  leaving  thirteen  thousand  on  the  battle-field.  Lee 
had  suffered  far  less  than  Grant  in  this  engagement. 

The  Unionists  had  another  misfortune  about  this  time. 
General  George. Crook  was  to  advance  up  the  Kanawha  Val 
ley  in  West  Virginia  while  Sigel  went  up  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  from  Winchester.  Both  expeditions  had  failed. 
Breckinridge  had  defeated  Sigel,  and  John  Morgan  had 
upset  Crook's  plans.  Later,  however,  early  in  June,  General 
David  Hunter  relieved  Sigel,  and  in  the  battle  of  Piedmont, 
June  5,  whipped  the  Confederates.  Encouraged  by  this, 
Hunter  and  Crook  met  at  Staunton,  and  together  they 
undertook  to  capture  Lynchburg.  Lee,  as  usual,  guessed 
this  plan,  and  sent  a  strong  garrison  to  defend  Lynchburg : 
so  Hunter  did  not  venture  to  make  the  attack.  To  save  his 
army,  he  retreated  beyond  the  mountains,  into  West  Vir 
ginia,  leaving  the  Shenandoah  Valley  unprotected. 

For  ten  days  after  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  the  two 
armies  remained  opposite  each  other,  so  near  as  to  be  within 
rifle-range.  Skirmishing  was  kept  up  every  day  except  one, 
when  under  flag  of  truce  they  buried  the  dead.  As  Lee 
would  not  move,  Grant  was  obliged  to  take  the  first  step. 
Once  more  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  wearily  marched 
through  the  Chickahominy  swamps,  and  crossed  the  James 
River  near  Malvern  Hills,  where  McClellan  had  fought  such 
a  desperate  battle  two  years  before.  There  must  have  been 
good  steel  in  that  Army  of  the  Potomac,  neither  to  rust  nor 
to  wear  out,  for  both  had  been  tried.  Lee  had  not  looked 
for  this  movement  on  Grant's  part,  but  supposed  that  he  was 
going  directly  to  Richmond :  so  Lee  fell  back  within  the 
lines  of  the  Confederate  capital. 


43 8     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

DEEDS,    NOT    WORDS. 

A  GLANCE  at  your  map  will  show  you  the  city  of 
Petersburg,  twenty-two  miles  south  of  Richmond,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Appomattox  River.  It  was  the  junc 
tion  of  several  lines  of  railway  over  which  the  Confederates 
brought  their  supplies;  yet,  up  to  the  spring  of  1864, 
neither  side  had  seemed  to  consider  it  worth  having,  as  the 
Federals  had  made  no  effort  to  take  it,  and  the  Confederates 
had  not  kept  it  strongly  garrisoned.  On  the  loth  of  June, 
Butler  undertook  to  capture  Petersburg,'  and  failed.  Five 
days  later,  when  General  Smith  returned  from  the  battle  of 
Cold  Harbor,  he  renewed  the  attack,  with  partial  success. 
He  carried  the  outer  works,  and  captured  six  hundred  pris 
oners  and  fifteen  guns.  Unfortunately,  however,  although 
he  was  re-enforced  by  Hancock,  Smith  did  not  press  his 
advantage  that  night.  Beauregard  made  the  most  of  the 
time  thus  gained.  Fresh  troops  were  hurried  to  Petersburg 
from  Richmond.  The  long  hours  of  that  moonlight  night 
were  spent  by  the  rebels  in  throwing  up  another  line  of 
earthworks  around  the  city ;  the  men  using  bayonets,  cups, 
and  even  their  hands,  for  tools.  The  Federals  had  lost  their 
opportunity.  Indeed,  it  seemed  to  be  putting  things  off 
which  lay  at  the  bottom  of  most  of  the  failures.  Well, 
Smith  assaulted  Petersburg  the  next  day,  June  16.  The 
greater  part  of  both  armies  were  by  this  time  engaged.  The 
fighting  continued  till  the  evening  of  the  i8th  :  then  Grant 


1864.] 


Deeds,  not    Words. 


439 


gave  up  the  struggle,  and  began  a  regular  siege.  It  had 
been  a  bloody  battle.  One  night  of  delay  had  cost  the 
armies  of  the  Potomac  and  the  James  nearly  ten  thousand 
men.  So  long  as  their  garrisons  could  be  fed,  neither  Peters 
burg  nor  Richmond  was  in  danger  of  capture.  During  the 
siege,  which  lasted  ten  months,  but  two  attempts  were  made 


ARMY-CORPS  CHAPEL  NEAR  PETERSBURG. 

to  carry  Petersburg  by  assault.  The  first  was  suggested  by 
one  of  Burnside's  men,  who  had  been  a  miner  in  the  Penn 
sylvania  coal-regions.  Meade  agreed  to  his  plan,  and  the 
work  began.  The  month  of  July  was  spent  in  digging  a 
mine,  or  tunnel,  from  a  point  in  the  Federal  lines  under  a  fort 
within  the  enemy's  works.  Proper  tools  were  not  to  be  had  ; 
and  cracker-boxes  were  used  to  take  the  earth  out  of  the 


44O     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

trench,  which  was  five  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long,  four  feet 
and  a  half  wide,  and  the  same  in  height.  Under  the  fort 
this  gallery  branched  in  opposite  directions,  thirty-five  feet 
each  way.  In  these  were  placed  eight  magazines  filled  with 
gunpowder,  connected  with  each  other  by  means  of  fuzes, 
and  extending  to  the  mouth  of  the  main  shaft.  As  soon  as 
all  was  ready,  Hancock  made  a  feint  on  the  north  side  of 
the  James,  and  Lee  withdrew  a  part  of  his  force  from  Peters 
burg,  believing  Richmond  to  be  threatened.  The  signal  was 
given  at  half-past  three,  on  the  afternoon  of  July  30.  The 
fuze  was  lighted.  An  hour  passed,  yet  no  sound  was  heard. 
Then  two  courageous  fellows  crept  into  the  mine,  and  found 
that  the  fuze  was  broken.  They  joined  it,  lighted  it  again, 
and  had  only  just  made  their  escape  when  the  crash  came. 
The  next  moment  a  yawning  chasm  two  hundred  feet  long, 
fifty  feet  wide,  and  sixty  feet  deep,  swallowed  up  the  fort 
and  its  garrison.  The  Union  batteries  opened  at  the  same 
instant,  and  the  Union  troops  dashed  into  the  mouth  of  the 
crater.  Then  came  a  moment  of  hesitation  and  wavering, 
which  turned  the  solid  ranks  into  a  disordered  mob.  For 
half  an  hour  the  enemy  was  paralyzed  by  the  shock  ;  and  that 
was  time  enough  to  win  a  glorious  victory,  if  all  had  gone 
well.  It  had  been  long  enough  for  the  enemy  to  recover 
breath.  Rebel  artillery  and  infantry  were  quickly  disposed 
for  defence.  Every  attempt  to  carry  the  slope  by  assault 
was  defeated.  At  last  the  rebel  guns  were  turned  upon  the 
struggling  mass  of  Union  troops  in  the  crater.  The  mine 
had  failed.  Four  thousand  victims  swelled  the  Union  loss 
in  Virginia.  General  Burnside  asked  to  be  relieved,  and  the 
Ninth  Corps  was  placed  under  the  command  of  General  John 
G.  Parke.  The  Confederates  still  held  Petersburg  with  its 
lines  of  railway.  During  August,  Meade  seized  and  held 
the  Weldon  Railroad,  by  which  the  greater  part  of  Lee's  sup 
plies  were  brought  to  Petersburg.  A  short  line  was  built, 


1864.]  Deeds,  not    Words.  441 

connecting  the  Weldon  Railway  with  Grant's  own  depot  of 
supplies  at  City  Point. 

All  this  while  General  Butler's  colored  troops  had  been 
digging  the  Dutch  Gap  Canal  across  a  sharp  bend  in  the 
James  to  save  going  around  the  long  curve.  Just  as  it  was 
finished,  an  accident  occurred  which  threw  the  earth  back 
into  the  channel  again.  As  a  Confederate  battery  com 
manded  the  work,  it  had  to  be  given  up. 

During  that  summer,  at  City  Point,  a  member  of  the  Chris 
tian  Commission,  on  hospital  duty,  found  time  to  teach  the 
colored  people  to  read.  One  day  an  old  negro,  whose  un 
used  eyes  found  it  hard  to  keep  the  letters  separate,  drew  his 
sleeve  across  his  face,  dripping  with  perspiration  after  a  strug 
gle  with  the  alphabet,  and  said  with  a  comical  grin,  "  Massa, 
dis  yer  do  make  me  sweat !  "  There  were  a  great  many  agents 
of  the  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions  about,  and  one 
day  the  guard  mistook  a  stranger  who  approached  for  one  of 
them.  "  No  sanitary  folks  allowed  inside."  —  "  I  guess  Gen 
eral  Grant  will  see  me,"  the  visitor  replied.  "I  can't  let  you 
pass,  but  I'll  send  him  your  name.  What  is  it?"  —  "Abra 
ham  Lincoln."  The  guard  dropped  his  musket,  and,  giving 
the  military  salute,  allowed  the  President  to  pass. 

Since  Hunter's  retreat,  there  had  been  no  Union  force 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  The  undefended  side  of  the 
capital,  therefore,  invited  a  rebel  invasion.  Lee  was  quick 
to  take  in  the  situation,  and  sent  Early  with  a  force  of  twenty 
thousand  men  down  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  The  troops 
marched  rapidly  in  spite  of  hot  weather.  On  the  3d  of  July 
they  reached  Martinsburg,  driving  out  the  garrison  under 
Sigel,  who  retreated  across  the  Potomac.  Three  days  later 
Early  arrived  at  Hagerstown.  He  destroyed  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  cut  the  Ohio  and  Chesapeake  Canal. 
General  Wallace,  who  was  at  Baltimore,  took  position  on 
the  Monocacy  River,  hoping  to  cover  Washington  until  the 


442     Yo2ing  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

arrival  of  re-enforcements,  which  he  knew  were  coming.  But 
on  the  Qth  the  Confederates  came  up,  and  assaulted  Wallace 
with  double  his  number.  When  the  Federals  could  hold 
out  no  longer,  they  fled  to  Baltimore.  Colonel  Harry  Gil- 
mor  took  advantage  of  the  approach  of  the  rebels  to  seize 
railroad-trains  between  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  and  to 
rob  the  mails  and  passengers.  General  Franklin  was  taken, 
but  made  his  escape  while  his  captors  slept.  Early  then 
moved  straight  toward  Washington.  On  the  night  of  the 
loth  of  July  he  rested  ten  miles  from  the  city.  The  next 
day  he  had  reached  the  outer  line  of  fortifications.  But  a 
body  of  troops,  under  Generals  Wright  and  Emory,  reached 
Washington  at  the  same  time,  by  way  of  the  Potomac.  As 
the  veterans  landed,  the  welcome  form  of  the  President 
greeted  them.  He  had  a  kind  word  for  everybody,  and  a 
bright  smile  made  his  plain  face  beautiful.  He  was  eating 
some  "  hard  tack  ;  "  for  he  had  missed  his  dinner  that  day, 
that  he  might  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  receiving  them.  The 
soldiers  cheered  till  the  echoes  rang.  As  they  marched 
through  the  streets,  they  were  welcomed  with  the  cry,  "  It  is 
the  old  Sixth  Corps  that  took  Marye's  Hill ! " 

The  next  day  (July  12),  a  smart  skirmish  took  place, 
after  which  Early  retreated,  but  took  with  him  five  thousand 
horses  and  two  thousand  cattle.  Wright  quickly  followed, 
overtaking  him  at  the  Shenandoah  River.  About  the  same 
time  the  Confederates  were  defeated  by  Averill  in  a  battle 
at  Winchester.  Wright's  troops  were  then  ordered  back  to 
Petersburg,  and  Hunter  again  came  into  the  valley.  Crook, 
supposing  that  Early  was  out  of  the  way,  went  up  the  valley 
at  the  same  time.  At  Kearnstown  he  came  upon  the  Con 
federates,  who  drove  him  back  with  heavy  loss.  Colonel 
Mulligan,  the  hero  of  the  siege  of  Lexington,  was  killed 
while  gallantly  leading  a  charge.  As  he  fell,  some  of  his 
men  tried  to  carry  him  off  the  field.  Seeing  his  colors  in 


i864.l  Deeds,  not    Words.  443 

danger,  he  cried,  "  Lay  me  down,  and  save  the  flag  !  "  He 
died  in  the  enemy's  hands. 

Seeing  that  the  way  was  open,  after  Crook  recrossed 
the  Potomac,  Early  made  another  destructive  raid  in  the 
North.  He  reached  Chambersburg,  Penn.,  on  the  301)1, 
and  demanded  a  ransom  for  the  town  of  two  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars  in  gold.  As  it  was  impossible  to  raise  that 
amount,  he  ordered  Colonel  Harry  Gilmor  to  set  fire  to 
the  place.  In  an  hour  two-thirds  of  the  thriving  city  of 
Chambersburg  was  in  ashes.  Early  then  hurried  across  the 
Potomac,  and  after  a  sharp  skirmish  at  Cumberland  he  got 
away  into  Virginia. 

Grant  now  determined  to  put  a  stop  to  rebel  invasions, 
and  in  order  to  do  it  he  felt  it  necessary  to  place  one  man 
at  the  head  of  all  the  forces  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 
General  Hunter  was  not  sorry  to  be  relieved,  and  the  choice 
fell  upon  General  Philip  H.  Sheridan.  On  the  yth  of 
August,  Sheridan  assumed  command  of  the  new  Army  of 
the  Shenandoah,  numbering  thirty-six  thousand  men.  He 
took  a  strong  position  at  Harper's  Ferry,  where  the  next  fort 
night  was  spent  in  preparations  to  attack  the  Confederates. 
People  began  to  get  impatient  to  hear  from  him ;  and  even 
Grant  went  to  see  Sheridan,  and  hurry  him  up.  Sheridan 
was  untiring  in  his  study  of  his  surroundings.  It  is  said  that 
whenever  he  fell  asleep,  day  or  night,  he  had  a  map  in  his 
hand  or  by  his  side.  He  organized  a  body  of  scouts  to  give 
information  concerning  the  enemy's  numbers  and  move 
ments.  An  old  colored  man  lived  about  fifteen  miles  from 
headquarters,  who  had  a  pass  to  sell  vegetables  in  Winches 
ter  three  times  a  week.  As  Early  was  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Opequan  Creek,  not  far  from  Winchester,  the  young 
commander  thought  that  the  old  negro  might  be  of  service 
to  him.  General  Crook  had  given  Sheridan  the  name  of 
Mr.  Amos  M.  Wright,  as  a  loyal  and  trustworthy  Unionist  in 


Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

Winchester.  His  eldest  daughter,  Miss  Rebecca  L.  Wright, 
was  also  mentioned  to  the  general,  as  one  devoted  to  the 
Union,  and  to  her  Sheridan  decided  to  appeal  for  aid.  At 
midnight  two  scouts  brought  the  old  vegetable  man  to  Sheri 
dan's  tent ;  and,  after  some  other  questions,  he  was  asked  if 
he  knew  Miss  Wright.  He  did  know  her,  and  agreed  to 
carry  to  her  a  letter,  written  upon  tissue-paper,  and  rolled  up 
in  tin-foil,  which  he  must  hide  in  his  capacious  mouth.  He 
was  to  deliver  the  letter  privately,  with  a  hint  of  its  impor 
tance,  and  to  bring  an  answer  on  the  next  market-day.  In 
case  of  capture,  he  was  to  chew  and  swallow  the  precious 
morsel.  The  colored  man  was  returned  to  his  home.  The 
next  day  Sheridan  wrote  the  letter  to  Miss  Wright,  appeal 
ing  to  her  love  for  the  "  old  flag  "  to  give  him  all  the  infor 
mation  concerning  the  enemy  which  she  could  obtain.  A 
trusty  scout  took  it  to  Winchester,  and  delivered  it  to  the 
vegetable  man.  The  next  day  Miss  Wright  received  it  safely. 
In  return,  she  sent  two  letters  at  different  times,  bearing  im 
portant  news,  and  at  length  the  third,  of  still  greater  value ; 
and  it  was  for  this  last  that  Sheridan  waited  before  attacking 
Early.  It  gave  the  information,  that  Early  had  weakened 
his  force  by  sending  Kershaw's  division  to  Richmond ;  and 
Sheridan  resolved  to  fall  upon  Winchester  without  delay. 

On  the  morning  of  the  ipth  of  September  he  crossed  the 
Opequan  River,  and  the  battle  began.  Sheridan's  attack  was 
energetic  and  well  sustained,  and  Early's  defence  was  heroic. 
Up  to  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  battle  had  been  equal. 
Crook's  corps  was  then  brought  into  action,  and  Emory's 
corps  sprang  from  the  ground  where  it  had  been  lying. 
Cavalry  and  infantry  swept  over  the  field,  and  drove  the 
enemy  before  them.  Away  fled  Early,  through  Winchester, 
to  Fisher's  Hill,  twelve  miles  distant. 

When  the  battle  was  over,  Sheridan  sought  the  house  of 
Mr.  Wright,  on  the  main  street  of  Winchester.  In  the  little 


1864.]  Deeds,  not   Words.  447 

schoolroom  of  Miss  Rebecca,  and  sitting  at  her  desk,  Sheri 
dan  wrote  this  message  to  General  Grant :  "  We  have  just 
sent  them  whirling  through  Winchester,  and  we  are  after  them 
to-morrow.  This  army  behaved  splendidly."  Then  he  took 
Miss  Wright's  hand,  and  thanked  her  for  her  courage  and 
loyalty.  He  afterward  wrote  of  her,  "  The  battle  of  Win 
chester  at  the  Opequan  was  fought  and  won  upon  informa 
tion  received  by  me  from  this  young  lady." 

A  victory  had  been  won  at  last.  Sheridan  did  not  stop  to 
exult,  but  kept  right  on  in  hot  pursuit.  On  the  22d  he 
attacked  the  rebels  in  front  of  their  position  at  Fisher's 
Hill,  which  resulted  in  a  Federal  success.  Early  was 
routed  again,  with  a  loss  of  eleven  hundred  prisoners.  Night 
and  day,  Sheridan  pursued  him,  through  Harrisonburg, 
Staunton,  and  the  Blue-Ridge  gaps,  having  captured  nearly 
half  of  Early's  army  at  the  end  of  a  week. 

The  rich  and  fertile  Shenandoah  Valley  would  always 
tempt  the  Confederate  army,  and  Grant  determined  to  lay 
it  waste.  It  seemed  a  cruel  measure  ;  but  the  people  in 
the  valley  were  ready  to  assist  every  Confederate  expedition, 
so  long  as  they  had  the  means.  So  Sheridan  destroyed 
barns  filled  with  hay  and  grain,  mills,  farming-utensils,  cattle 
and  sheep.  "The  land  was  as  the  garden  of  Eden  before 
them,  and  behind  them  a  desolate  wilderness." 

In  the  mean  time  Early  was  re-enforced  from  Lee's  army, 
and  returned  to  Fisher's  Hill.  On  the  i8th  of  October, 
Sheridan  was  posted  at  Cedar  Creek,  facing  south.  Soon 
after  midnight,  Early  began  to  steal  a  march  upon  the 
Union  army.  Every  thing  depended  upon  secrecy,  and  all 
precautions  were  taken  to  secure  it.  Canteens  even  were 
left  behind,  for  fear  that  their  rattling  should  betray  the  men 
as  they  crept  cautiously  upon  the  Union  camp.  The  first 
rays  of  dawn  were  just  streaking  the  sky,  when  with  wild 
yells  the  Confederates  charged,  —  in  front,  flank,  and  rear. 


448      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

In  fifteen  minutes  Crook's  sleeping  soldiers  were  routed. 
The  first  line  was  carried,  and  the  Sixth  Corps  alone  stood 
its  ground.  Wright  was  wounded,  but  refused  to  leave  the 
field.  Stoutly  resisting  the  enemy,  he  covered  the  Federal 
retreat  toward  Winchester. 

Sheridan  had  slept  at  Winchester  that  night,  on  his  return 
from  Washington.  He  heard  the  sound  of  battle,  and  has 
tened  toward  it  to  meet  his  own  army  in  the  full  flight  which 
told  of  defeat.  Swinging  his  old  hat,  he  cried,  "  Face 
about !  Face  about,  boys  !  We're  all  right.  WTe'll  whip 
them  yet !  We'll  sleep  in  our  old  quarters  to-night ! " 
Cheer  after  cheer  greeted  their  leader,  as  the  fugitives 
quickly  turned  toward  the  battle-field  again.  On  he  rode, 
as  fast  as  his  jet-black  horse  could  carry  him. 

"  He  dashed  down  the  line  mid  a  storm  of  hurrahs  ; 
And  the  wave  of  retreat  checked  its  course  there,  because 
The  sight  of  the  master  compelled  it  to  pause." 

One  more  charge,  and  the  war  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
was  ended.  Early  was  whipped.  His  army  became  a  mob, 
and  took  to  the  hills  and  open  fields.  Each  army  had  lost 
heavily  in  this  campaign,  —  Early,  twenty-three  thousand; 
and  Sheridan,  seventeen  thousand  men. 

Early  was  never  heard  from  but  once  again  during  the 
war,  when  a  body  of  troops  which  he  led  were  captured, 
and  Lee  immediately  relieved  him  from  all  command. 


GENERAL   SHERIDAN    IN    THE   VALLEY. 


1864.]  Among  the  Mountains.  45 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

IF    ONE    WISHES    A    THING    DONE    WELL,   LET    HIM    DO 


BY  the  beginning  of  May,  General  Sherman  was  all  ready 
to  move.  Having  succeeded  to  Grant's  old  command 
of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi,  Sherman  was 
responsible  for  all  the  armies  within  that  district.  He  there 
fore  paid  a  visit  to  each  of  his  three  army  commanders,  and 
explained  to  them  his  plans  and  wishes.  General  James  B. 
McPherson  had  taken  Sherman's  place  at  the  head  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee.  To  General  John  M.  Schofield 
had  been  given  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  ;  and  General  Thomas 
remained  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  at  Chattanooga. 
The  most  thorough  preparations  were  made  for  a  campaign 
in  which  both  officers  and  men  resolved  to  compel  success. 
To  the  staff  of  every  general  competent  civil  engineers  were 
attached,  whose  duties  were  to  construct  bridges,  repair  roads, 
and  to  furnish  accurate  information  and  maps  of  the  coun 
try  through  which  the  army  must  pass.  A  telegraph-corps 
accompanied  the  expedition,  carrying  its  own  wires  and 
instruments,  but  depending  upon  the  forest-trees  for  the 
necessary  poles.  There  was  also  a  signal-corps  for  the  pur 
pose  of  communicating  by  means  of  flags  or  lights.  Allow 
ing  but  the  smallest  amount  of  necessary  baggage,  the 
wagon-train  for  such  an  army  must  be  immense.  The  com 
manding  general  was  strict  in  his  orders  to  cut  down  the 
amount  of  personal  baggage  ;  and  he  set  an  example  of  sac- 


452      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

rifice  of  comfort  by  carrying  no  tent  for  himself,  except  such 
slight  shelter  as  was  allowed  to  every  soldier. 

His  storehouses  at  Chattanooga  were  bursting  with  food 
for  his  soldiers.  His  ranks  were  full,  and  Sherman  only 
awaited  marching-orders.  But,  before  the  tramp  of  a  hun- 


PATRIOT   ORPHAN    HOME. 


dred  thousand  men  falls  upon  our  ears,  let  us  spread  out  oui 
map,  and  see  what  enemies  they  were  likely  to  meet. 

Behind  a  range  of  mountains  which  lies  to  the  south-east 
of  Chattanooga  is  the  town  of  Dalton,  Ga.  Here,  intrenched 
in  a  deep  gorge  of  Rocky  Face  Mountain,  lay  the  Confed 
erate  army.  The  gap  is  known  as  Buzzard's  Roost,  and 
between  its  rugged  sides  flows  Mill  Creek.  The  rebel  posi 
tion  was  strong ;  and  General  J.  E.  Johnston  had  succeeded 
Bragg  in  command,  so  that  Sherman  felt  that  he  had  to 


1864.]  Among  the  Mountains.  453 

deal  with  a  foeman  "  worthy  of  his  steel."  Johnston's  army 
commanders  were  Hardee,  Hood,  and  Polk ;  and  his  force 
was  about  sixty  thousand  men. 

On  Thursday,  May  5,  Sherman's  army  started  for  Atlanta. 
On  the  yth  and  8th  Thomas  and  Schofield  made  an  attempt 
to  force  the  pass  of  Rocky  Face  ;  but  Hardee  led  the  rebel 
troops  in  person,  and  easily  held  the  crest  against  superior 
numbers.  The  affair  of  Buzzard's  Roost,  however,  was  not 
Sherman's  chief  business  in  hand.  While  the  main  army 
was  pressing  the  enemy  in  front,  McPherson  had  moved  up 
Snake  Creek  Valley,  intending  to  surprise  Resaca,  in  John 
ston's  rear.  Unfortunately,  however,  McPherson  thought  it 
too  strong  to  attack,  and  fell  back  to  Snake  Creek  Gap  to 
wait  for  re-enforcements.  But  the  opportunity  was  gone. 
Johnston  had  heard  of  Sherman's  flank  movement ;  and  on 
the  night  of  May  12  he  withdrew  from  Dalton  to  Resaca, 
where,  two  days  later,  Sherman  attacked  him.  Skirmishing 
was  kept  up  the  first  day;  but  during  the  second,  the  i5th, 
the  fighting  was  sharp  and  continuous.  That  night  John 
ston  retreated  across  the  Oostangula  and  Etowah  Rivers, 
burnt  his  bridges  behind  him,  and  took  a  strong  position 
behind  Allatoona  Pass.  Sherman  knew  that  region  of  the 
country  too  well  to  sacrifice  his  men  by  an  attempt  to  force 
that  stronghold  when  he  could  just  as  well  get  it  by  strategy. 
Bridges  were  quickly  rebuilt,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  an  immediate  advance.  One  day  a  heavy  storm  swept 
over  the  Union  camp  at  Resaca,  unroofing  buildings  and 
doing  great  damage.  Finally  the  lightning  set  fire  to  the 
tow  in  which  some  shells  were  packed.  The  bravest  soldiers 
were  filled  with  dismay,  and  either  ran  away  or  lay  down  upon 
the  ground  to  escape  certain  death.  Only  one  stout-hearted 
fellow  seemed  to  have  his  senses.  Climbing  to  the  top  of  the 
pile,  he  seized  the  burning  tow ;  and,  holding  it  up,  he  cried, 
"  No  fireworks  this  time,  boys ;  "  and  the  danger  was  past. 


454      young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.    [1864. 

Sherman  next  marched  straight  on  Dallas,  Ga.  Near 
Dallas,  at  New  Hope  Church,  he  encountered  the  enemy  in 
force,  where  a  stubborn  battle  was  fought,  in  which  both 
entire  armies  were  engaged,  and  which  lasted  from  the  25th 
of  May  till  the  ist  of  June,  with  scarcely  a  breathing  spell. 
The  Confederates  held  their  ground ;  but,  in  order  to  do  so, 
Johnston  was  forced  to  evacuate  Allatoona  Pass.  Sherman 
was  satisfied  to  accomplish  here  the  object  which  he  had 
aimed  to  reach  at  Dallas.  Continued  heavy  rains  made  the 
roads  almost  impassable.  The  wild  and  beautiful  country 
in  which  the  two  armies  were  engaged  was  certainly  not 
meant  for  soldiering ;  yet  for  a  month  they  had  fought  a 
battle,  great  or  small,  nearly  every  day.  The  struggle  at 
New  Hope  Church  had  been  a  drawn  battle,  as  neither  had 
surrendered ;  but  it  had  given  Sherman  advantage  of  posi 
tion.  Johnston  then  withdrew  to  Kenesaw,  Lost,  and  Pine 
Mountains  \  and  Sherman  pressed  his  lines  still  closer  upon 
him. 

One  morning  a  regiment  passed  Sherman's  bivouac,  and 
saw  him  lying  asleep  by  the  roadside.  One  of  the  men, 
supposing  him  to  be  intoxicated,  exclaimed,  "That  is  the 
way  we  are  commanded,  —  officered  by  drunken  major-gen 
erals  !  "  Sherman  heard  the  remark,  and,  springing  up,  said 
pleasantly,  "  Not  drunk,  my  boy ;  but  I  was  up  all  night, 
and  I  am  very  tired  and  sleepy."  The  next  time  Sherman 
rode  past  that  regiment,  he  was  received  with  cheers. 

General  Jeff.  C.  Davis  had  in  the  mean  time  captured 
Rome,  and  secured  possession  of  its  guns  and  stores.  He 
also  destroyed  its  founderies  and  mills  for  the  manufacture 
of  Confederate  ordnance  and  ammunition. 

The  three  mountain  peaks  which  Johnston  now  occupied 
lay  to  the  left  and  north  of  Marietta,  —  Kenesaw  nearest, 
Lost  Mountain  to  the  west  farther  still,  and  Pine  Mountain 
about  halfway  between  the  two  but  farther  north,  like  the 


1864.]  Among  tJic  Mountains.  455 

three  balls  over  a  pawnbroker's  shop.  By  the  i2th  of  June 
a  strong  Union  force  held  Allatoona  Pass,  the  Etowah  had 
been  bridged  again,  and  "  the  whistle  of  a  locomotive  was 
heard  at  Big  Shanty,  notifying  friend  and  foe  that  Sher 
man's  supplies  were  now  close  in  the  rear  of  his  line." 
Sherman's  losses  had  been  made  up  to  him  by  the  arrival 
of  Blair's  troops.  The  Union  army  was  in  position,  and  an 
advance  was  ordered.  On  the  i4th  Generals  Johnston, 
Hardee,  and  Polk  were  on  Pine  Mountain,  where  General 
Polk  was  killed  by  a  shot  from  a  Federal  gun.  Johnston 
and  Hardee  had  seen  the  shell  and  avoided  it;  but  Polk, 
slower  in  his  movements,  was  unable  to  get  out  of  its  way. 
General  Polk's  body  was  taken  to  Atlanta,  where  funeral 
services  were  held.  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  lieutenant-general  in  the  Confederate  army,  and 
brother  of  a  former  President  of  the  United  States,  his  loss 
was  deeply  felt.  General  S.  D.  Lee  was  given  General 
Polk's  command. 

The  next  day  Johnston  abandoned  Pine  Mountain.  Lost 
Mountain  was  then  given  up.  It  is  understood,  that,  with 
such  antagonists  as  Johnston  and  Sherman,  not  a  single 
point  was  yielded  by  either,  without  fighting.  As  fast  as 
Johnston  retreated,  Sherman  pushed  his  army  into  the  aban 
doned  position.  On  the  25th  of  June,  Johnston  covered 
Marietta,  and  held  Kenesaw,  "  the  key  to  the  whole  coun 
try."  Two  days  later  Sherman  assaulted  the  enemy  in  his 
intrenched  position.  Officers  and  men  behaved  with  heroic 
bravery  in  the  bloody  battle,  in  which  the  Federals  were 
repulsed.  The  Union  general  Harker  was  killed,  and  Gen 
eral  D.  McCook  was  wounded.  Sherman  now  determined 
upon  another  flank  movement,  which  his  quick-witted  enemy 
guessed,  warily  falling  back  to  Marietta.  Before  dawn  on 
the  morning  of  the  3d  of  July  the  Union  pickets  flung  out 
the  starry  banner  from  the  crest  of  Kenesaw,  for  the  rebels 


456      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1864. 

had  fled  toward  the  Chattahoochee  River.  Sherman  took 
possession  of  Marietta  the  same  morning.  Johnston  had 
evidently  anticipated  his  own  retreat ;  for  he  had  ordered  a 
"  strongly  intrenched  camp  prepared  on  the  Chattahoochee, 
covering  the  railway-crossing  and  his  pontoon-bridges." 
Sherman  was  therefore  obliged  to  content  himself  with 
strategy ;  and,  while  making  a  feint  below  the  rebel  lines,  he 
seized  a  good  crossing  above,  and  fortified  it.  For  more 
than  thirty  miles  the  north  bank  of  the  Chattahoochee  bris 
tled  with  bayonets.  So  near  were  the  two  lines,  that  even 
the  commanding  Union  general  came  near  being  captured  ; 
and  Colonel  Frank  Sherman  rode  placidly  into  the  enemy's 
camp,  supposing  it  to  be  that  of  Thomas.  Colonel  Sher 
man  was  taken  to  Atlanta,  and  the  rebels  thought  at  first 
that  they  had  caught  General  Sherman  himself. 

During  the  month  of  June,  Sherman's  army  had  lost 
about  two  hundred  men  a  day  :  the  Confederates  had  suf 
fered  even  more  severely.  By  the  Qth  of  July,  Johnston 
had  crossed  the  river,  and  fallen  back  to  Atlanta,  eight 
miles  distant.  Sherman  already  held  the  railway  from  Chat 
tanooga  to  the  rear  of  his  camp,  at  Vining  Station,  with 
entire  possession  of  the  west  bank  of  the  Chattahoochee. 
He  wished  to  break  the  lines  between  Johnston  and  his 
supplies.  To  do  this,  Sherman  sent  General  Rousseau  with 
a  large  body  of  cavalry  into  Alabama.  Starting  at  Decatur 
on  the  9th,  Rousseau  dashed  through  Opelika,  and,  after 
destroying  twenty  miles  of  railway,  turned  to  Marietta. 
On  the  i  yth  of  July,  Sherman  put  his  army  once  more  in 
motion.  Near  Decatur  he  learned  that  General  John  E. 
Hood  had  relieved  Johnston  in  the  command  of  the  rebel 
anrry.  Hood's  reputation  for  fighting  was  so  well  known, 
that  Sherman  sent  word  to  every  division  commander  to 
be  always  ready  for  a  battle.  On  the  2Oth,  at  noon,  while 
the  Federals  were  resting  with  stacked  arms,  Hood's  troops 


1864-1 


Among  the  Mountains. 


457 


poured  out  of  their  intrenchments,  and  fell  upon  them. 
The  enemy  was  handsomely  repulsed,  but  with  heavy  loss, 
Hooker's  corps  having  been  badly  cut  up.  The  enemy's 
dead  and  wounded  numbered  four  thousand.  The  Union 
lines  were  closing  around  Atlanta.  On  the  morning  of  July 
22  the  outer  works  to  the  north  and  east  were  abandoned. 


DEATH    OF    M'PHERSON. 


That  morning,  Sherman  was  wakened  by  the  sound  of  bat 
tle  too  far  to  the  rear  to  be  accounted  for,  which  finally 
grew  to  a  steady  roar.  General  McPherson  offered  to  go  to 
see  what  was  the  matter,  and  with  his  staff  he  rode  away. 
The  firing  came  nearer  in  the  mean  time.  As  Sherman  was 
impatiently  pacing  up  and  down  the  piazza  of  the  Howard 
House,  where  his  headquarters  were,  one  of  McPherson's 


458      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1864. 

staff  rode  rapidly  up,  and  told  him  that  McPherson  was 
either  killed  or  a  prisoner ;  for  his  horse  had  come  back 
covered  with  blood.  A  few  minutes  after  leaving  Sherman, 
McPherson  had  crossed  the  railroad  track ;  and,  finding  that 
the  rebels  had  attacked  his  rear,  he  had  sent  the  members 
of  his  staff  in  different  directions  with  various  orders.  Then 
with  an  orderly  he  had  taken  a  wood-road,  unaware  that  he 
was  in  the  enemy's  lines.  An  instant  later  he  met  a  party 
of  Confederates,  who  called  upon  him  to  halt.  McPherson 
bowed  politely  and  raised  his  hat  as  he  turned  his  horse  to 
ride  away.  Upon  this,  the  rebels  fired,  killing  McPherson 
instantly.  His  orderly,  Jack  Thompson,  was  wounded,  and 
taken  prisoner.  George  Reynolds,  himself  wounded,  brought 
the  news  of  McPherson's  death  to  Colonel  William  E.  Strong 
of  the  general's  staff.  Securing  an  ambulance,  they  went 
to  the  spot  where  McPherson  lay,  and,  placing  his  body 
in  the  ambulance,  drove  out  of  the  enemy's  lines  "  on  the 
keen  run."  The  general's  watch,  hat,  sword-belt,  field-glass, 
and  papers  were  already  gone.  They  were  recovered,  how 
ever,  from  prisoners  who  were  taken  soon  after.  Captains 
Gile  and  Steele  of  McPherson's  staff  took  his  body  home 
to  his  mother  in  Clyde,  O.  General  Sherman  thus  makes 
tender  mention  of  his  dead  general,  "  History  tells  us  of 
but  few  who  so  blended  the  grace  and  gentleness  of  friend 
with  the  dignity,  courage,  faith,  and  manliness  of  the  soldier." 

To  young  Reynolds  was  given,  in  the  presence  of  his 
regiment  under  arms,  the  "gold  medal  of  honor  of  the 
Seventeenth  Corps,"  for  his  bravery  and  his  kindness  to 
General  McPherson. 

General  O.  O.  Howard  succeeded  to  McPherson's  com 
mand.  Like  Schofield  and  Thomas,  he  was  conscientious, 
free  from  jealousy,  brave,  and  efficient.  Hooker  asked  to 
be  relieved  when  Howard  was  given  the  right  wing  :  so  the 
Twentieth  Corps  fell  to  General  H.  W.  Slocum. 


1864.]  Among  tJie  Mountains.  459 

The  firing  which  had  cost  McPherson's  life  proved  to  be 
more  than  a  skirmish,  lasting  till  four  in  the  afternoon,  and 
ending  in  Hood's  repulse.  Hood  then  withdrew  to  his  in- 
trenchments  inside  the  city,  and  Sherman  "closed  in."  The 
Macon  Railway  was  the  only  line  by  which  the  Confederate 
army  was  now  supplied,  and  Sherman  determined  to  destroy 
that.  He  sent  McCook  and  Stoneman,  with  nearly  nine 
thousand  cavalry  for  that  purpose,  and  moved  General 
Howard's  army  around  to  the  right  to  threaten  the  same 
road.  The  cavalry  accomplished  nothing  of  importance  ; 
while  Stoneman,  and  those  of  his  command  who  had  not 
already  fled  or  been  killed,  were  taken  prisoners.  Hood 
then  fiercely  attacked  Howard  at  Ezra  Church.  Logan's 
corps  sustained  the  brunt  of  the  battle  for  four  hours,  but  at 
last  succeeded  in  driving  the  rebels  into  their  own  intrench- 
ments.  "  Half  a  dozen  such  battles,"  says  a  military  writer, 
"  would  have  left  Hood  without  an  army." 

"Well,  Johnny,  how  many  are  there  left  of  you?"  said  a 
Federal  picket,  after  the  battle,  to  a  rebel  on  duty.  "  Oh  ! 
about  enough  for  another  killing,"  returned  the  Confederate 
grimly. 

The  siege  of  Atlanta  now  fairly  began.  During  the  month 
of  August  the  Union  army  kept  "  hammering  away  "  night 
and  day.  With  plenty  of  wood,  water,  and  provisions,  the 
men  were  very  comfortable,  making  for  themselves  huts  to 
keep  off  the  scorching  sun. 

In  the  mean  time  Kilpatrick's  cavalry  was  sent  to  strike  a 
final  blow  at  the  Macon  Railroad.  In  four  days  the  work 
was  done,  and  the  rebel  supplies  were  stopped.  Then  Sher 
man  marched  his  army  off  to  Jonesborough,  on  the  Macon 
Railroad.  At  first  Hood  was  joyful,  and  telegraphed  the 
good  news  to  Richmond,  that  the  "  Yankees  "  were  gone. 
But  he  soon  saw  that  Sherman  meant  to  destroy  his  com 
munications  and  compel  him  to  come  out  of  his  trenches : 


460      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1864. 

so  he  attacked  Howard  again,  only  to  be  repulsed.  On  the 
night  of  Sept.  i  Hood  blew  up  his  arsenals  and  magazines. 
At  daylight  Slocum's  corps  of  the  Union  army  marched  into 
Atlanta  unopposed,  for  Hood's  troops  had  left  the  city  and 
were  well  on  their  way  to  Macon.  Sherman  telegraphed  to 
Mr.  Lincoln,  "  Atlanta  is  ours  and  fairly  won."  The  mes 
sage  was  welcomed  with  wildest  demonstrations  of  joy  by 
all  loyal  people.  Bells  were  rung,  and  every  town  that  owned 
a  cannon  fired  a  salute.  In  the  four  months  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  Sherman  had  won  a  glorious  victory  at  the  cost 
of  thirty-one  thousand  men.  On  the  other  hand,  Hood's 
army  was  still  at  large ;  but  he  could  ill  afford  to  spare  the 
thirty-five  thousand  men  whom  he  had  lost.  The  city  of 
Atlanta  was  the  trading  and  manufacturing  centre  of  the 
South,  having  a  population  of  twenty  thousand.  It  contained 
numerous  workshops,  mills,  and  founderies  for  the  manufac 
ture  of  guns  and  ammunition,  as  well  as  factories  for  wagons, 
clothing,  and  shoes  for  the  Confederate  army.  Of  course, 
those  employed  in  these  industries  were  disloyal  to  the 
Union ;  and,  as  Sherman  determined  to  convert  Atlanta  into 
a  military  post,  he  ordered  the  removal  of  the  entire  popula 
tion  for  the  safety  of  his  own  army.  A  copy  of  the  "  Atlanta 
Appeal"  for  July  18  contained  the  following  advertisement, 
of  interest  because  it  was  one  of  the  last  of  its  kind  ever 
published  in  that  city. 

$300  REWARD! 

Will  be  paid  for  the  apprehension  and  delivery  of  the  GIRL  ALICE, 
who  ran  away  on  the  nth.  She  weighs  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  has  a  round,  full  face,  wavy  hair,  and  has  a  feeble  and  de 
pressed  voice  when  spoken  to.  Her  color  is  a  medium  or  light-brown 
mulatto.  Those  who  arrest  her  will  deliver  her  to  the  City  Marshal. 

A.  J.  RIDDLE 

Not  long  after  the  occupation  of  Atlanta,  Sherman   de 
tected  signs  of  another  rebel  invasion.     Garrisons  had  been 


1864. j  Among1  f/ic  Mountains*  461 

left  at  all  the  places  lately  captured,  but  they  would  not  be 
strong  enough  to  resist  either  Hood  or  Forrest.  Thomas 
was  therefore  hurried  back  to  Tennessee,  while  General  John 
M.  Corse  was  to  guard  the  railway  north  of  the  Etowah. 
These  precautions  were  not  taken  a  minute  too  soon,  for 
Hood  attacked  Allatoona  Pass  on  the  5th  of  October.  That 
day  Sherman  reached  Kenesaw  Mountain,  from  which  he 
signalled  Corse  at  Rome  to  hasten  to  Allatoona ;  for  even 
then  a  line  of  smoke  and  the  distant  booming  of  guns  told 
that  the  battle  had  begun.  For  a  long  time  the  smoke  at 
Allatoona  hid  the  signal-flags  on  Kenesaw  from  view.  At 
last,  however,  they  spelled  out  the  words,  "  Hold  the  fort, 
for  I  am  coming  !  "  Soon  the  anxious  watchers  on  Kene 
saw  made  out  the  reply,  "  C.,"  "  R.,"  "  S.,"  "  E.,"  "  H.," 
"  E.,"  "  R."  (Corse  is  here).  As  soon  as  Sherman  made 
out  the  word  "  Corse,"  he  exclaimed,  "  If  Corse  is  there, 
he  will  hold  it.  I  know  the  man  ! "  That  was  a  reputation 
worth  having,  but  not  better  than  Corse  and  his  little  army 
deserved ;  for,  in  the  long  hours  of  the  5th  of  October, 
Allatoona  lost  half  of  its  defenders.  Although  Corse  was 
wounded  in  the  face  at  noon,  he  held  out  all  day,  and 
whipped  Hood  soundly.  The  next  day  he  sent  word  to 
Sherman  that  he  was  "  short  a  cheek  and  an  ear ;  "  but  he 
could  whip  the  enemy  yet.  After  his  repulse  at  Allatoona, 
Hood  pushed  on  to  the  northward,  threatening  Kingston 
and  Rome  ;  but  as  Sherman  was  so  near  he  did  not  venture 
upon  an  attack.  When  at  last  Sherman  saw  that  Hood  really 
meant  to  go  into  Tennessee,  he  ceased  to  follow ;  for  Sher 
man  thought,  rightly,  that  it  would  be  safe  to  "  leave  Hood 
to  Thomas." 


462     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

MARCHING   THROUGH    GEORGIA. 

IT  was  the  first  of  November  before  Hood  and  Sherman 
parted  company.  Hood  was  sure  that  Sherman  would 
pursue,  and  therefore  did  not  consider  what  the  conse 
quences  would  be  in  that  case.  Sherman,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  equally  sure  that  Thomas  was  a  match  for  Hood, 
and  was  very  glad  to  have  Hood  cross  the  Tennessee  River, 
and  move  northward.  Forrest,  who  had  been  checked  in 
his  operations  in  West  Tennessee,  now  turned  to  assist  Hood, 
making  the  Confederate  force  forty  thousand  strong.  By 
the  middle  of  November,  Hood's  whole  army  was  rapidly 
approaching  Nashville,  and  Sherman  had  turned  back  to 
Atlanta. 

Thomas  had  about  thirty  thousand  men  in  Nashville,  and 
as  many  more  scattered  here  and  there  at  various  posts. 
Schofield  immediately  gathered  these  latter  troops,  and 
upon  Hood's  approach  fell  back  with  this  army  toward 
Nashville.  On  the  way,  at  dead  of  night,  the  Union  army 
passed,  without  being  discovered,  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
Confederate  bivouac  at  Spring  Hill.  When  it  reached 
Franklin,  eighteen  miles  south  of  Nashville,  Schofield  got 
his  trains  safely  over  the  Harpeth  River ;  but  the  fords  were 
in  such  condition,  that,  before  his  army  could  follow,  the 
enemy  overtook  him.  Hood  attacked  Schofield  on  the 
afternoon  of  Nov.  30.  The  battle,  which  lasted  from  four 
in  the  afternoon  till  dark,  was  a  hard  struggle  and  became 


1864.] 


Marching  through  Georgia. 


at  last  a  hand-to-hand  encounter.  For  a  while  all  seemed 
lost,  but  at  the  word  of  command  Opdyke's  brigade  reso 
lutely  and  swiftly  charged  the  enemy  and  saved  the  day. 
The  Confederates  were  driven  back;  and  in  the  night  Scho- 
field  crossed  the  river,  and  joined  Thomas  at  Nashville. 

General  Stanley  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Franklin. 
Hood  lost  five  thousand  men,  among  whom  were  thirteen 
general  officers.  Thomas  was  soon  re-enforced  by  General 


CHRISTIAN    COMMISSION. 

Steedman  from  Chattanooga,  and  General  A.  J.  Smith  from 
Missouri ;  thus  increasing  his  force  to  fifty-five  thousand. 

Hood  had  appeared  in  front  of  Nashville  on  the  2d  of 
December ;  but  the  weather  was  too  cold  and  stormy  to 
attempt  a  demonstration,  and  both  armies  huddled  shivering 
around  their  camp-fires.  Especially  did  the  rebels  feel  the 
biting  cold,  for  their  thin  and  well-worn  garments  were  little 
protection  from  the  frost.  On  the  morning  of  Dec.  15, 
very  early,  General  Thomas  advanced  upon  the  enemy.  A 
thick  fog  hid  the  two  armies  so  completely  from  each  other 


464      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

as  to  conceal  the  assault.  To  withstand  the  shock  on  his 
right,  Hood  moved  troops  from  his  left,  when  Wilson's  cav 
alry  fell  upon  his  left  thus  weakened,  Schofield  and  Smith 
at  the  same  time  pressing  the  advantage,  while  Wood  as 
saulted  the  rebel  line  in  front,  driving  the  enemy  completely 
out  of  his  works.  By  nine  o'clock  that  night  Thomas  held 
the  ground  already  taken,  and  was  preparing  to  attack  the 
enemy  in  the  morning.  The  next  day,  however,  Thomas 
was  repulsed  at  first ;  and  only  after  desperate  fighting  were 
Hood's  lines  broken,  his  guns  captured,  and  his  army  "  routed 
as  no  army  had  been  in  the  history  of  the  war."  The  Con 
federate  generals,  Johnson  and  Jackson,  were  captured. 
"  Prisoners  were  taken  by  the  regiment,  and  artillery  by  bat 
teries."  General  James  H.  Wilson  pursued  the  fugitives  to 
Franklin,  where  Hood  made  another  fruitless  attempt  at 
resistance.  His  army,  already  dwindled  to  a  pitifully  small 
remnant,  grew  smaller  every  hour ;  and  the  few  men  that 
were  left  were  ragged  and  hungry. 

Forrest  now  returned  from  one  of  his  raids  in  time  to 
assist  Hood  in  crossing  the  Tennessee,  whence  they  fled  into 
Mississippi.  The  unfortunate  Hood  was  scolded,  blamed, 
and  finally  forced  to  resign  his  command.  His  successor 
was  General  Dick  Taylor,  whom  we  last  met  in  Louisiana. 

We  left  Sherman's  army  moving  back  to  Atlanta,  eager  to 
begin  the  great  march  by  which  it  was  meant  to  flank  Rich 
mond,  and  open  a  way  to  the  sea.  Colonel  T.  E.  G.  Ran 
som,  a  young  officer  of  great  promise,  died  on  the  return 
march.  As  soon  as  Sherman  reached  Atlanta  again,  he 
sent  all  the  sick  and  wounded,  the  refugees,  and  all  supplies 
and  materiel  of  war  not  needed,  to  Chattanooga.  He  or 
dered  the  country  around  Atlanta  to  be  laid  waste,  bridges 
burned,  railroads  destroyed,  and  telegraph  wires  cut,  so  that 
his  army  could  neither  be  followed  nor  heard  from.  He  then 
caused  the  city  to  be  burned,  in  order  to  keep  it  from  again 


1864.]  Mawhing  through  Georgia.  465 

becoming  a  rebel  stronghold  the  moment  that  he  should 
withdraw  his  troops.  On  the  i5th  of  November,  to  the  tune 
of  "John  Brown's  Body,"  the  Union  army,  sixty-two  thousand 
strong,  marched  away  from  the  blackened  ruins  of  Atlanta ; 
and  the  men  took  up  the  chorus,  "  Glory,  glory,  hallelujah  !  " 
singing  it  with  a  will.  Not  knowing  whither  they  were  going, 
they  firmly  trusted  that  their  leader  would  bring  them  out  all 
right  somewhere.  Officers  and  men  in  the  ranks,  as  well 
as  the  Commander-in-chief,  felt  sure  that  the  long  journey 
of  three  hundred  miles  upon  which  they  had  entered  must 
somehow  end  the  war.  As  Sherman  rode  past  the  long 
lines  on  that  November  day,  now  and  then  a  soldier  would 
call  out,  "  Uncle  Billy,  I  guess  that  Grant  is  waiting  for  us 
at  Richmond." 

The  army  was  divided  into  two  wings.  ]\  laj  or-  General 
O.  O.  Howard  commanded  the  right  wing,  in  which  were 
the  Fifteenth  Corps  under  Major-General  P.  J.  Osterhaus, 
and  the  Seventeenth  under  Major-General  Frank  P.  Blair. 
The  left  wing  was  led  by  Major-General  H.  W.  Slocum ; 
being  made  up  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps  under  Major-Gen 
eral  Jefferson  C.  Davis,  and  the  Twentieth  under  Brigadier- 
General  A.  S.  Williams.  The  cavalry,  under  the  especial 
direction  of  the  commander-in-chief,  was  led  by  Brigadier- 
General  Judson  Kilpatrick.  Every  arrangement  had  been 
carefully  made  for  the  comfort  and  government  of  Sher 
man's  military  family.  A  day's  march  was  to  be  fifteen 
miles,  beginning  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Now 
and  then  the  troops  were  halted  for  a  breathing-spell ;  and 
trains  were  stopped,  that  horses  and  mules  might  rest  a 
moment.  Every  railroad  on  the  route  was  to  be  destroyed. 
Foraging  parties  were  organized  to  collect  necessary  food 
for  soldiers  and  horses.  But  the  men  were  strictly  forbid 
den  to  enter  houses,  or  to  "forage  "  on  their  own  account. 
The  soldiers  who  thus  gathered  supplies  from  plantations  were 


466      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1864, 

called  "  bummers."  One  day  a  man  passed  Sherman  with 
a  ham,  a  jug  of  molasses,  and  a  piece  of  honey  which  he 
was  eating.  Seeing  that  his  watchful  chief  had  discovered 
him,  he  said  in  a  loud  voice  to  a  comrade,  "  Forage  liber 
ally  on  the  country,"  quoting  from  one  of  Sherman's  gen 
eral  orders.  Sherman  reproved  the  man  kindly,  and  made 
him  share  his  luxuries  with  his  messmates. 

The  two  columns  marched  by  different  routes ;  and  Mil- 
ledge  ville,  then  the  capital  of  Georgia,  was  the  first  point 
at  which  the  whole  force  was  united  after  leaving  Atlanta. 
At  the  approach  of  Sherman,  the  governor  and  State  officers 
had  fled ;  but  the  inhabitants  remained. 

On  the  23d  the  march  began  again.  One  day  an  old 
negro  was  brought  to  General  Sherman,  who  asked  him  if 
there  were  any  Yankees  at  Sandersville.  "Yes,"  replied  the 
man.  "  First  there  come  along  some  cavalry-men,  and  they 
burned  the  depot ;  then  come  along  some  infantry-men,  and 
they  tore  up  the  track,  and  burned  it,  and  then  they  sot  fire 
to  the  well !  "  General  Sherman  afterward  learned  that  his 
soldiers  had  destroyed  a  pump  used  to  lift  water  to  a  tank. 
Then,  throwing  the  boards  and  rubbish  into  the  tank,  they 
had  set  them  on  fire. 

On  the  3d  of  December  the  army  reached  Millen,  where 
there  was  a  prison  for  Union  soldiers.  The  men,  as  well  as 
their  officers,  were  eager  to  free  the  poor  fellows  confined 
there  ;  but  to  their  sorrow  the  prisoners  had  already  been 
removed  to  another  place.  The  prison  pen  at  Millen  was 
second  only  in  size  to  that  at  Andersonville.  A  part  of 
Sherman 'b  army  also  passed  very  near  Andersonville,  but 
unfortunately  they  could  not  turn  aside  to  liberate  the  pris 
oners. 

On  the  8th  of  December,  within  fifteen  miles  of  Savan 
nah,  an  accident  discovered  Hiat  the  road  was  planted  with 
torpedoes.  A  fine  young  officer  hnd  his  foot  blown  off,  and 


A    BUMMER. 


i864-]  Marc/ting  throng Ji  Georgia.  469 

several  men  were  wounded.  Sherman  was  very  angry,  and 
ordered  some  rebel  prisoners  to  dig  up  the  torpedoes,  01 
else  to  march  over,  and  explode  them. 

Now  that  we  are  so  near,  let  us  take  the  map,  and  trace 
the  long  journey  over  again,  —  Atlanta,  Milledgeville,  Millen, 
then  more  nearly  to  the  south,  along  the  bank  of  the  Ogee- 
chee  River,  we  come  to  Savannah,  to  find  it  well  fortified, 
and  defended  by  General  William  J.  Hardee.  Sherman 
determined  to  communicate  immediately  with  the  Federal 
fleet  in  Ossibaw  Sound.  Already  General  Howard  had  sent 
Captain  Duncan,  a  trusty  scout,  down  the  Ogeechee,  past 
Fort  McAllister,  and  so  out  to  the  fleet,  with  the  news  of 
the  arrival  of  Sherman's  army.  As  Duncan  and  his  com 
rades  crept  along  in  their  little  "  dug-out,"  they  saw  rebel 
pickets  on  the  shore,  and  heard  negroes  praying  and  sing 
ing.  They  could  only  travel  in  the  dark  :  so  toward  morn 
ing  they  hauled  up  their  boat,  and  hid  both  it  and  themselves 
in  the  bushes.  The  next  night  they  started  again.  Suddenly 
a  cloud  drifted  over  the  moon,  and  made  the  darkness 
intense.  As  they  rounded  a  bend,  they  saw  a  huge  dark 
object  right  in  their  path.  Another  pull  brought  them 
alongside  a  rebel  gunboat  anchored  in  the  stream.  Noise 
lessly  they  pulled  off,  and  were  well  out  of  its  way  when 
the  moon  shone  out  again.  They  passed  Fort  McAllister 
safely,  out  of  the  river,  into  the  sea,  where  for  the  next 
day  they  took  refuge  on  a  little  desert  island.  When  the 
tide  set  in,  they  got  into  their  little  boat  again,  and  pushed 
off.  As  they  rose  and  fell  on  the  big  waves,  the  mainland 
grew  every  moment  fainter.  They  were  hungry  and  thirsty, 
and,  oh,  so  tired  !  when  at  last  a  gunboat  came  in  sight. 
Never  before  did  the  Stars  and  Stripes  seem  so  beautiful. 
The  men  were  seen,  and  taken  on  board  the  gunboat.  Cap 
tain  Duncan's  despatches,  which  had  been  hidden  in  a  plug 
of  tobacco,  were  delivered  into  Admiral  Dahlgren's  own 


4/O     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

hands.  The  "  dug-out  "  fared  better  than  its  captain.  It  was 
placed  in  the  Museum  of  the  Washington  Navy- Yard  while 
Captain  Duncan's  services  were  never  resvarded  in  any  way. 
This  was  the  first  tidings  of  the  marching  army  since  it  left 
Atlanta.  People  had  been  very  anxious  to  know  where 
Sherman  was  going,  and  how  he  fared ;  but  not  even  the 
President  himself  had  any  means  of  finding  out.  At  a 
levee  one  evening  during  that  month  of  suspense,  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  very  silent  and  absent-minded.  Rousing  him 
self  with  a  great  effort  at  last,  he  said  to  some  one,  "  Excuse 
me  if  I  am  a  little  pre-occupied.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  was 
thinking  about  a  man  down  South."  He  afterward  con 
fessed  that  "  the  man  down  South  "  was  Sherman. 

In  the  mean  time  Sherman  had  ordered  Hazen's  division  to 
capture  Fort  McAllister.  General  Howard  had  established 
a  signal-station  in  an  old  rice-mill  on  the  Ogeechee  River, 
where  he  watched  as  anxiously  for  some  ship  of  the  block 
ading  squadron,  as  "  Sister  Ann  "  watched  for  her  brother 
in  the  tale  of  "Bluebeard."  General  Sherman  now  began 
to  fear  that  Duncan's  party  had  been  captured.  Hazen  had 
been  ordered  to  attack  at  sunset,  and  a  signal-flag  assured 
Sherman  that  he  was  getting  ready.  Just  at  that  moment 
the  smoke  of  a  steamer  streaked  the  sky ;  then  a  gunboat 
appeared  in  sight,  bearing  the  Union  banner.  "Flutter, 
flutter,  up  and  down,  right  and  left ;  and  our  signal-officer 
read  the  despatch  out  loud,  so  that  all  could  hear  it,  —  'Who 
are  you  ? '  Answer.  — '  General  Sherman.  Who  are  you  ? ' 
Flutter,  flutter,  up  and  down,  right  and  left.  Reply.  — '  Ad 
miral  Dahlgren  and  General  Foster.  Is  Fort  McAllister  cap 
tured?  '  Answer.  —  *  No  ;  but  it  will  be  in  twenty  minutes.' 
And  as  the  last  word  was  telegraphed,  a  dozen  heavy  guns 
opened  fire  upon  Hazen's  division,  which  was  forming  for 
an  assault.  Four  minutes  to  five  o'clock,  and  across  the 
water  come  floating  the  bugle-notes,  and  away  they  go. 


x864.j  Marc '/ting  through  Georgia.  473 

I  never  saw  the  like.  Over  every  conceivable  obstacle 
known  to  military  skill  and  ingenuity,  never  wavering,  never 
faltering  for  an  instant,  with  a  fierce  and  impetuous  rush 
to  the  front,  with  a  gallantry  almost  unparalleled,  and  with 
a  wild  cheer  which  I  can  never  forget,  away  they  went. 
Every  officer  and  enlisted  man  proved  himself  a  soldier  and 
a  hero.  The  sun  went  down,  McAllister  was  ours,  and  Gen 
eral  Hazen  had  won  his  second  star."  ' 

Up  to  this  time  General  Hazen  did  not  know  that  a  gun 
boat  was  near,  nor  could  those  on  the  gunboat  see  the 
engagement  at  Fort  McAllister.  The  only  communication 
was  by  means  of  signals  to  and  from  the  rice-mill.  Sherman 
now  prepared  to  bombard  Savannah,  and  General  Foster 
was  ready  to  lend  a  hand.  But  on  the  night  of  Dec.  20 
Colonel  Barnum  of  Howard's  corps,  who  was  not  more 
than  three  hundred  yards  from  the  rebel  works,  cautiously 
crept  out  beyond  the  rebel  picket-line  to  reconnoitre.  All 
was  still,  and  he  half  suspected  that  the  Confederates  had 
"skedaddled."  With  ten  trusty  men  he  scaled  the  parapet, 
then  passed  quickly  to  the  fortifications.  The  rebel  camp- 
fires  burned,  but  not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen.  Barnum  sent 
for  more  men.  They  moved  from  earthwork  to  earthwork, 
and  just  at  dawn  they  entered  the  beautiful  city,  to  see,  away 
across  the  marsh,  the  gray  coats  flying  from  them.  A  large 
force  was  set  at  work  to  remove  the  torpedoes  and  other 
obstructions  from  the  river,  and  Savannah  became  a  depot 
for  Union  supplies.  The  24th  of  December  brought  Gen 
eral  Sherman  news  of  Thomas's  victory  in  Tennessee,  which 
he  considered  a  part  of  his  own  campaign.  Immediately 
after  the  surrender,  he  wrote  to  the  President,  "  I  beg  to 
present  you  as  a  Christmas  present  the  city  of  Savannah, 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  heavy  guns  and  plenty  of  ammu 
nition,  also  about  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton." 

1  From  a  manuscript  book  by  General  William  E.  Strong. 


474     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War,    [1864. 

Mr.  Lincoln  got  the  pleasant  message  on  Christmas  Eve. 
The  next  day  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Savannah  appeared 
in  the  newspapers,  and  from  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the 
frontier  there  was  great  rejoicing. 

"  So  we  made  a  thoroughfare  for  Freedom  and  her  train, 
Sixty  miles  in  latitude,  three  hundred  to  the  main : 
Treason  fled  before  us,  for  resistance  was  in  vain, 
While  we  were  marching  through  Georgia." 


i86z.]    TJicy  that  go  down  to  the  Sea  in  Ships.     475 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

THEY    THAT    GO    DOWN    TO    THE    SEA    IN    SHIPS. 

JOHN  LAIRD  was  a  British  subject  and  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Commons.  Very  early  in  the  war  he  built 
a  fine  steamer  in  his  shipyard  near  Liverpool,  which 
excited  much  interest.  The  vessel  received  no  name,  being 
simply  known  as  the  "290  "as  she  lay  upon  the  stocks. 
Although  nobody  asked  whom  she  was  built  for,  or  where 
she  was  going,  yet  everybody  seemed  to  know.  Just  as  she 
was  ready  for  sea,  the  American  minister  to  England  com 
plained  so  loudly  about  her,  that,  in  order  to  keep  up  the 
appearance  of  neutrality,  a  tardy  order  was  procured  to 
detain  her.  Before  this,  however,  the  Confederate  agents, 
for  whom  she  was  intended,  had  gotten  her  well  out  of  the 
Mersey  on  a  "trial-trip,"  from  which,  by  the  way,  she  never 
came  back.  She  sailed  for  the  Azores,  where  her  crew  and 
officers  met  her.  She  received  there  her  armament,  and 
thus  quickly  became  a  man-of-war ;  then  she  steamed  out 
of  the  neutral  port  for  a  league  from  land.  Suddenly,  as  if 
touched  by  a  fairy's  wand,  out  upon  her  quarter-deck  stepped 
Captain  Raphael  Semmes,  dressed  from  top  to  toe  in  the 
Confederate  uniform.  In  a  neat  speech  he  named  the 
steamer  the  Alabama,  and  proclaimed  her  to  be  in  the  ser 
vice  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America.  Down  came 
the  British  flag,  and  up  went  the  Stars  and  Bars.  Semmes 
urged  the  officers  and  crew  to  enlist  in  the  Confederate  ser 
vice,  offering  plenty  of  prize-money  to  tempt  them.  Hoping 


476      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1864. 

for  a  frolic  with  good  pay,  they  consented ;  and  the  most 
powerful  pirate-ship  on  the  high  seas  was  thus  fairly  manned, 
equipped,  and  set  afloat.  Semmes  was  well  taught  in  his  pro 
fession,  for  he  had  learned  it  in  the  American  navy.  Among 
the  first  to  desert  the  Union  flag,  he  had  been  in  active  ser 
vice  in  the  Confederacy  since  the  war  began.  From  the  yth 
of  September,  1863,  till  the  summer  of  1864,  the  Alabama's 
captures  were  enough  to  satisfy  the  love  of  adventure  of 
even  such  a  crew  as  hers.  On  the  nth  of  June,  1864,  she 
put  into  Cherbourg  for  repairs.  While  there,  the  United- 
States  steam  sloop  Kearsarge  appeared  off  Cherbourg.  Her 
commander,  Captain  John  A.  Winslow,  was  looking  for  just 
such  sort  of  craft  as  the  Alabama.  The  two  vessels  were 
fully  equal  in  size  and  armament.  Semmes,  wishing  to  show 
his  skill  and  strength,  sent  word  to  Winslow,  that,  if  he  would 
lay  off  for  a  day,  the  Alabama  would  be  ready  to  go  out  and 
give  him  battle  outside  of  neutral  waters.  Winslow  accepted 
the  challenge  gladly.  On  the  i9th  of  June  the  Alabama 
steamed  out  of  Cherbourg,  under  the  escort  of  the  French 
ironclad  Couronne,  and  an  English  steam-yacht  carrying  a 
party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  to  witness  the  duel.  At  a  dis 
tance  of  seven  miles  from  land,  the  Kearsarge  turned  head 
on,  and  made  for  the  Alabama.  The  Alabama  circled  around 
her,  as  a  hawk  circles  around  a  hen ;  the  Kearsarge  all 
the  time  trying  to  get  near  her.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  the 
Alabama  made  a  dash  for  neutral  French  waters,  where 
the  Kearsarge  would  not  dare  to  touch  her.  But  it  was  too 
late  ;  for  the  Kearsarge,  already  up  with  the  enemy,  gave  her 
a  raking  fire  across  her  bows.  A  white  flag  fluttered  from 
the  Alabama.  She  was  sinking.  Captain  Winslow  hastily 
lowered  his  boats,  and  the  French  pilot-boats  and  the  Eng 
lish  yacht  did  the  same ;  but  nineteen  wounded  men  went 
down  with  the  Alabama.  Captain  Semmes  childishly  threw 
his  sword  into  the  sea.  In  the  two  years  in  which  the  Ala- 


1864.]    TJicy  tJiat  go  down  to  tlic  Sea  in  Ships.     479 

bama  plied  her  occupation,  she  had  taken  sixty-five  prizes, 
and  destroyed  Federal  property  worth  ten  millions  of  dol 
lars.  She  sailed  under  the  English  flag  to  catch  her  prey, 
only  hoisting  the  Confederate  ensign  when  making  a  prize, 
and  she  never  touched  Confederate  waters.  Semmes  was 
made  brigadier-general  in  the  Confederate  army,  having 
made  his  escape  by  the  help  of  the  English  yacht. 

The  Oreto  was  another  vessel  which  put  to  sea  as  a 
cruiser  from  a  British  port,  against  the  remonstrance  of  the 
American  minister.  Her  commander,  Captain  John  II. 
Maftitt,  had  also  learned  the  art  of  war  in  the  United- 
States  navy.  The  Oreto  slipped  into  Mobile  harbor,  where 
she  remained  for  four  months,  changing  her  name  in  the 
mean  time  to  the  Florida.  She  escaped  from  Mobile,  and 
in  the  autumn  of  1864  entered  a  harbor  in  Brazil  where  the 
United  States  steamer  Wachusett  was  lying.  Although  she 
was  in  neutral  waters,  the  Wachusett  seized  her,  after  having 
made  several  attempts  to  get  her  outside  to  fight.  She  was 
taken  to  Hampton  Roads,  and  soon  after  sank  in  a  collision 
with  another  vessel.  The  Brazilian  Government  made  such 
a  fuss  about  it,  that  Commander  Collins  was  suspended  from 
service.  These  are  but  instances  of  the  many  cruisers  built 
by  English  shipbuilders  for  the  Confederacy.  Two  fine  iron 
clad  rams  were  just  ready  for  sea,  when  Mr.  Adams  assured 
the  British  Government  that  war  would  be  declared  if  they 
were  allowed  to  sail ;  and  Mr.  Laird  was  forbidden  to  let 
them  go. 

The  Stonewall,  a  powerful  ironclad  built  in  France,  was 
purchased  by  the  Confederates,  and  afterwards,  through  the 
Spanish  authorities  in  Cuba,  surrendered  to  the  Federal 
Government.  After  the  war  the  United  States  demanded 
payment  for  damages  done  to  her  commerce  and  property 
by  English-built  cruisers.  As  the  two  powers  could  come 
to  no  terms  of  agreement,  a  board  of  "arbitrators,"  or  um- 


480      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil    War.     11864, 

pires,  was  chosen,  —  one  by  each  nation,  and  three  by  Italy, 
Switzerland,  and  Brazil,  —  to  meet  in  Geneva,  Switzerland,  to 
decide  the  matter.  This  board  declared  that  Great  Britain 
had  broken  the  laws  of  neutrality,  and  required  her  to  pay  the 
sum  of  fifteen  million,  five  hundred  thousand  dollars'  penalty 
to  the  United  States.  This  was  called  "  The  Geneva  Award." 
Among  General  Grant's  moves  in  the  game  of  war,  one 
of  the  most  important  was  the  capture  of  Mobile,  Ala. 
Standing  as  sentinels  at  the  entrance  of  Mobile  Bay  were 
Forts  Morgan,  Gaines,  and  Powell.  Inside  the  bay  the 
ironclad  ram  Tennessee,  and  three  Confederate  gunboats, 
guarded  the  town.  The  main  ship-channel,  about  four 
miles  wide,  was  between  Fort  Morgan  on  the  right,  and 
Gaines  on  the  left,  as  one  enters  the  harbor.  To  the  left 
of  Dauphin  Island,  on  which  Fort  Gaines  stood,  between  it 
and  Fort  Powell,  was  Grant's  Pass,  a  narrow  channel,  only 
deep  enough  to  admit  small  vessels.  A  glance  at  the  map 
will  fix  in  your  minds  the  position  of  these  forts.  General 
Canby,  who  had  recently  succeeded  General  Banks,  sent 
General  Gordon  Granger  to  Dauphin  Island,  to  attack 
Fort  Gaines.  At  sunrise  on  the  5th  of  August  the  fort 
opened  a  sharp  fire  upon  the  besiegers,  and  there  was  pros 
pect  of  a  bloody  battle,  when  the  deep  boom  of  artillery 
fell  upon  their  ears,  and  all  eyes  turned  to  behold  Farra- 
gut's  fleet  forcing  its  way  into  the  bay.  It  moved  in  pairs 
firmly  lashed  together,  —  the  Brooklyn  and  the  Octorara, 
Hartford  and  Metacomet,  Richmond  and  Port  Royal, 
Lackawanna  and  Seminole,  Monongahela  and  Kennebec, 
Ossipee  and  Itasca,  Oneida  and  Galena. 

"  We  see  our  ships  ;  we  name  each  pair  ; 
We  greet  the  gallant  flagship  there  : 

God  help  them  all  this  day ! 
Through  crashing  shot  and  bursting  shell, 
With  a  courage  that  no  words  can  tell, 

They  force  a  fiery  way ! 


i864-l     They  that  go  down  to  tlic  Sea  in  Ships.     481 

And  he  who  planned,  who  cheered,  who  led, 
Was  where  the  shot  flew  overhead 

As  thick  as  swarming  bees  : 
What  might  betide,  what  might  befall, 
Here  was  the  brave  old  admiral 

Lashed  in  the  main  cross-trees  !  " 

The  Hartford  was  the  admiral's  flagship  ;  but,  because 
the  Brooklyn  carried  a  torpedo-catcher,  she  took  the  lead. 
The  day  was  fair  and  the  sea  calm.  Admiral  Farragut  was 
perched  in  the  maintop  shrouds,  where,  high  in  air  with 
glass  in  hand,  he  was  able  to  direct  the  battle.  To  guard 
against  accident,  Captain  Percival  Drayton,  the  commander 
of  the  Hartford,  caused  a  rope  to  be  passed  around  the 
admiral,  and  secured  to  the  shrouds.  By  the  u  shrouds " 
of  a  ship,  we  mean  the  rope-ladder  reaching  from  the 
masthead  to  the  vessel's  side.  In  the  maintop,  above  the 
admiral's  head,  was  Martin  Freeman,  as  trusty  a  pilot  as 
ever  trod  deck.  Captain  Jouett  commanded  the  Meta- 
comet,  the  Hartford's  mate.  When  the  Union  fleet  was 
signalled,  the  Confederate  fleet  took  position  in  single  file 
across  the  channel.  The  monitor  Tecumseh,  which  did  not 
reach  Farragut's  fleet  till  sunset  of  the  evening  before,  fired 
the  first  gun  upon  Fort  Morgan.  As  she  advanced,  she  sud 
denly  shivered,  reeled  over,  paused  an  instant,  with  her 
screw  revolving  high  out  of  water,  then  went  down  head 
foremost,  and  with  her  nearly  every  soul  on  board.  She 
had  struck  a  torpedo.  Her  commander,  Captain  T.  A. 
Craven,  met  the  pilot  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  which  led 
to  the  only  chance  for  life,  —  the  top  of  the  turret.  Cap 
tain  Craven  stepped  back  with  a  courtesy  and  nobility  that 
a  king  might  envy,  and  said  simply,  "  After  you,  pilot." 
"  There  was  nothing  after  me,"  said  Mr.  Collins,  who, 
through  his  commander's  heroism,  was  spared  to  tell  the 
story.  "  When  I  reached  the  topmost  round  of  the  ladder, 


482      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.     [1864. 

the  vessel  seemed  to  drop  from  beneath  me."  Farragut 
sent  a  boat  to  pick  up  those  who  might  have  escaped  death 
in  the  Tecumseh.  Just  then  the  Brooklyn  wavered,  stopped, 
and  began  to  "back  water."  There  was  no  time  to  reason 
or  hesitate.  Farragut  ordered  his  own  ship  to  go  ahead. 
As  he  passed  the  Brooklyn,  the  captain  called  through  his 
trumpet  that  a  line  of  torpedoes  lay  across  the  channel. 
"Jouett,  full  speed!"  shouted  Farragut.  "  Four  bells, 
Captain  Drayton  !  eight  bells  !  sixteen  bells  !  give  her  all 
the  steam  you've  got !  "  And  away  they  went  safely  over 
both  lines  of  torpedoes.  The  Brooklyn  and  the  others  fol 
lowed.  The  action  now  became  general.  An  hour  of  hard 
fighting,  and  the  forts  were  passed.  As  the  fleet  entered 
the  bay,  the  Tennessee  put  on  full  head  of  steam  to  ram  the 
Hartford.  Missing  her,  the  Tennessee  discharged  a  broad 
side  into  each  of  the  others.  The  flagship  then  signalled, 
"  Chase  enemy's  gunboats."  Instantly  Captain  Jouett  cut 
loose  from  the  Hartford,  and  with  the  Metacomet  started 
for  them.  Three  others  followed.  By  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening  the  Selma  was  captured,  the  Gaines  was  burned,  and 
the  Morgan  ran  under  the  guns  of  Fort  Morgan,  whither  the 
Tennessee  had  already  gone  for  repairs.  The  latter  steamed 
out  again  to  attack  the  Hartford ;  and  the  Monongahela 
made  a  rush  at  her  with  such  force  as  to  knock  men  off 
their  feet  on  each  vessel.  Then  the  Lackawanna  and  the 
Hartford  rammed  the  Tennessee,  pouring  shot  and  shell 
upon  her  that  rattled  harmlessly  off  her  iron  sides.  For  an 
hour  the  Tennessee  held  the  whole  Union  fleet  at  bay.  At 
last  the  Lackawanna  and  the  Hartford  came  into  collision, 
nearly  cutting  the  flagship  in  two.  Boats  were  lowered,  and 
there  was  a  cry,  "  Save  the  admiral  !  "  But  the  stanch  old 
commander,  refusing  to  go  over  the  side,  ordered  the  Hart 
ford  to  ram  the  Tennessee  again,  when  a  white  flag  on  the 
Tennessee  proclaimed  her  surrender.  Her  smoke-stack  was 


1AKRAGUT    IN    THE    SHROUDS. 


i864.]     They  tJiat  go  down  to  tJic  Sea  in  SJiips.    485 

gone,  her  steering-apparatus  broken,  and  her  commander, 
Captain  Buchanan,  was  wounded ;  but  she  had  made  a 
gallant  fight.  By  the  next  afternoon  the  Union  vessels  were 
patched  up,  and  just  before  sunset  they  opened  upon  Fort 
Gaines.  After  a  few  shots  the  admiral  invited  Colonel  An 
derson  and  his  staff  to  come  on  board  the  Hartford  under 
a  flag  of  truce.  They  went,  and  Farragut  convinced  the 
commander  of  Fort  Gaines  that  it  would  be  a  needless  sacri 
fice  of  life  to  try  to  hold  it  against  bombardment.  Colonel 
Anderson  agreed  to  surrender  Fort  Gaines  the  next  morning, 
and  he  kept  his  word.  General  Page,  however,  declined  to 
give  up  Fort  Morgan  :  so  Granger's  troops  were  landed 
behind  it,  and  on  the  22d  of  August  the  bombardment  was 
begun  by  both  army  and  navy. 

Fort  Morgan  held  out  till  its  citadel  took  fire,  its  walls 
were  broken,  its  guns  disabled,  and  its  magazines  in  danger. 
When  the  flames  could  be  no  longer  resisted,  the  flag  of 
truce  was  hoisted.  At  the  end  of  the  battle  the  lighthouse 
was  a  picturesque  ruin,  being  but  a  skeleton  in  stone.  With 
the  surrender  of  Fort  Morgan,  Mobile  Bay  came  into  full 
Federal  possession,  for  the  rebels  had  already  blown  up  Fort 
Powell ;  but  the  city  of  Mobile  still  held  out. 

The  town  of  Plymouth,  N.C.,  on  the  Roanoke  River, 
was  held  by  a  Union  garrison,  under  General  Henry  W. 
Wessels.  In  April  it  was  surprised  by  General  R.  F.  Hoke, 
with  a  Confederate  force  twice  the  number  of  its  defend 
ers.  They  shelled  the  town  after  having  taken  Fort  Wes 
sels,  farther  down  the  river.  Three  Union  gunboats  lay 
near  the  fort,  but  were  of  little  use  against  the  ironclad 
ram  Albemarle,  which  accompanied  the  rebel  expedition. 
Plymouth  was  carried  by  assault,  and  General  \Vessels  and 
his  command  were  captured. 

A  month  later  the  Albemarle,  with  the  Cotton-Plant  and 
the  Bomb-Shell,  attacked  the  Union  blockading-fleet  off  the 


486       Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil  War.      [1864. 

mouth  of  the  Roanoke  River.  After  a  sharp  battle  with  the 
steamer  Sassacus,  the  Albemarle  returned  to  Plymouth,  hav 
ing  lost  both  of  her  consorts.  General  Hoke  then  went 
back  to  Virginia. 

The  port  of  Wilmington,  in  North  Carolina,  on  the  Cape 
Fear  River,  had  never  been  entirely  closed  to  blockade-run 
ners,  owing  to  the  advantages  of  its  situation,  the  peculiar 
build  of  Confederate  cruisers,  and  the  strength  of  Fort  Fisher 
which  defended  it.  In  June,  Lieutenant  William  B.  Gush 
ing  obtained  leave  to  destroy  the  Confederate  ram  Raleigh, 
lying  in  Cape  Fear  River.  With  two  other  officers  and  a 
small  crew,  he  set  out,  and  pulled  past  the  forts  and  the 
little  town  of  Smithville.  Toward  morning  they  landed 
within  seven  miles  of  Wilmington,  and  hid  in  the  swamp 
till  night  fell  again.  They  watched  the  river,  and  captured 
two  fishing-boats,  compelling  their  crews  to  act  as  guides. 
The  next  night  was  spent  in  reconnoitring  below  the  town. 
At  dawn  Captain  Gushing  captured  a  mounted  courier  from 
Fort  Fisher,  and  obtained  much  valuable  information  from 
his  mail.  One  of  the  officers  put  on  the  courier's  hat  and 
coat,  and  rode  to  market,  returning  with  a  good  dinner  for 
the  party.  They  cut  the  telegraph-wires ;  and  as  soon  as 
it  was  dark  they  started  on  their  homeward  way,  having 
found  that  the  Raleigh  had  already  been  destroyed.  Setting 
their  prisoners  adrift  in  the  stream,  with  neither  sails  nor 
oars,  they  steadily  pulled  toward  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
Suddenly  the  moon  rose,  and  a  guard-boat  discovered 
them ;  then  another  and  another,  till  five  came  out  of 
the  darkness.  Always  cool  in  the  presence  of  danger. 
Gushing  darted  into  the  shadow  so  quickly,  that  for  a 
moment  they  could  not  find  him.  Every  stroke  told  as 
the  crew  bent  to  their  oars.  Away  they  went,  out  of  the 
river,  into  the  surf,  where  their  pursuers  dared  not  venture. 

The  destruction  of  the  Albemarle  was  next  undertaken. 


i864.]    They  tJiat  go  doivn  to  the  Sea  in  SJiips.     489 

A  steam-launch  with  a  torpedo  attachment  had  been  rigged 
for  this  purpose,  and  Lieutenant  Gushing  was  the  man 
chosen  to  do  the  work.  With  a  volunteer  crew  of  six  offi 
cers  and  six  men,  he  left  the  fleet  in  the  launch,  at  mid 
night  on  the  2yth  of  October.  The  Albemarle  was  lying 
in  the  Roanoke  River,  at  Plymouth,  carefully  guarded  by 
Confederate  picket-boats.  Stealthily  Gushing  slipped  past 
them  all,  without  being  caught.  At  length  he  crossed  a 
belt  of  light,  and  a  dog  barked.  Then  came  the  challenge, 
"Who  comes  there?"  followed  by  a  shower  of  rebel  bullets. 
The  Albemarle  was  protected  by  a  boom  of  logs  around 
her,  thirty  feet  wide.  The  launch  made  a  wide  circle,  and 
with  bows  on,  dashed  upon  the  enemy  at  full  speed.  The 
launch  went  over  the  logs  close  to  the  ram.  The  torpedo 
spar  was  lowered ;  and  with  his  own  hands  Gushing  fixed 
it  in  place,  and  pulled  the  line  which  exploded  it.  At  the 
same  moment  the  Albemarle  fired,  with  the  muzzle  of  her 
great  gun  almost  within  touch  of  the  tiny  launch.  Crying 
to  his  men  to  save  themselves,  Gushing  jumped  into  the 
water.  The  bullets  fell  like  hail  around  them.  Only  one 
man  beside  the  brave  leader  escaped.  Gushing  swam  ashore  ; 
and,  weary  and  faint  from  a  wound  in  his  wrist,  he  crawled 
into  a  swamp.  He  was  kindly  cared  for  by  a  friendly  negro, 
who  brought  him  the  welcome  news  that  he  had  done  his 
work  well.  He  had  sunk  the  Albemarle.  Gushing  then 
captured  a  skiff,  and  made  his  way  back  to  the  Union 
gunboats. 


4QO     Young  Folks"  History  of  the  Civil  War.     [1864. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

A    PEEP    INSIDE. 

SINCE  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  the  war  had  cost 
an  immense  sum  of  money.  Who  furnished  it?  You 
will  answer,  "  Congress."  It  did  indeed  deal  generously 
with  the  army ;  but  do  you  know  where  the  money  came 
from,  which  it  so  freely  gave  ?  Let  us  see.  Mr.  Salmon  P. 
Chase  was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  proved  himself 
well  fitted  for  the  place.  He  issued  government  bonds 
payable  in  gold,  bearing  six  per  cent  interest,  which  were 
readily  bought  by  the  people.  A  tax  was  imposed  upon 
all  State  banks,  manufactured  articles  of  home  .and  foreign 
production,  and  indeed  nearly  every  thing  used.  To  this 
end,  revenue-stamps  were  bought  from  the  government, 
and  attached  by  the  seller,  thus  slightly  raising  the  price  to 
the  buyer.  Gold  and  silver  became  very  scarce ;  and,  for 
the  convenience  of  commerce,  Mr.  Chase  issued  four  hun 
dred  millions  of  treasury-notes  bearing  the  same  interest  as 
the  bonds.  These  notes  were  to  circulate  like  bank-bills, 
being  a  "legal  tender;"  that  is,  worth  the  face  value  of  the 
note  in  gold.  The  smaller  coins  had  almost  disappeared  ; 
and,  instead  of  them,  postage  and  revenue  stamps  were 
commonly  used.  So  fifty  millions  of  "  fractional "  paper 
currency  of  small  denominations  were  placed  in  circulation. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Confederates  were  really  suffering 
from  "  hard  times."  Their  debt  amounted  to  a  billion  dol 
lars,  with  no  means  of  filling  up  their  empty  treasury.  They, 


1864.]  A  Peep  Inside.  491 

too,  issued  bonds,  which  at  first  were  freely  taken  by  their 
foreign  sympathizers.  But  the  market  value  of  these  bonds 
grew  less  as  the  chances  of  Confederate  success  grew 
smaller.  In  1864  the  paper  currency  of  the  Confederate 
States  was  sold  for  from  four  to  six  cents  on  the  dollar.  So 
it  took  a  great  many  dollars  to  supply  them  with  the  simple 
comforts  of  life. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  war,  upon  a  battle-field,  a  Con 
federate  ten-dollar  bill  was  found,  upon  the  back  of  which 
were  written  the  following  touching  verses  :  — 

"  Representing  nothing  on  God's  earth  now, 

And  nought  in  the  water  below  it, 
As  a  pledge  of  a  nation  that's  dead  and  gone, 
Keep  it,  dear  friend,  and  show  it,  — 

Show  it  to  those  who  will  lend  an  ear 

To  the  tale  this  paper  can  tell, 
Of  liberty  born,  of  the  patriot's  dream, 

Of  the  storm-cradled  nation  that  fell. 

Too  poor  to  possess  the  precious  ores, 

And  too  much  of  a  stranger  to  borrow, 
We  issued  to-day  our  promise  to  pay, 

And  hoped  to  redeem  it  to-morrow. 

The  days  rolled  on,  and  weeks  became  years; 

But  our  coffers  were  empty  still : 
Coin  was  so  rare,  that  the  treasury  quaked, 

If  a  dollar  should  drop  in  the  till. 

We  knew  it  had  hardly  a  value  in  gold, 

Yet  as  gold  our  soldiers  received  it : 
It  gazed  in  our  eyes  with  a  promise  to  pay, 

And  each  patriot  soldier  believed  it. 

But  our  boys  thought  little  of  price  or  pay, 

Or  of  bills  that  were  overdue  : 
We  knew  if  it  brought  us  bread  to-day, 

'Twas  the  best  our  poor  country  could  do. 


492      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1864. 

Keep  it :  it  tells  our  history  over, 

From  the  birth  of  its  dream  to  the  last. 

Modest,  and  born  of  the  angel  of  hope, 
Like  the  hope  of  success,  it  has  passed." 

And  the  sad  tale  hinted  at  was  but  a  shadow  of  the. 
truth.  Southern  railroads  needed  repairing,  and  cars  were 
tumbling  to  pieces.  One  by  one,  Southern  ports  were 
closed ;  so  that  the  means  to  send  their  few  products  to 
market  were  nearly  gone.  Certain  articles  of  food  were  thus 
difficult  to  get  at  any  price.  Salt  was  so  scarce,  that  those 
who  had  smoke-houses  where  meat  had  been  cured  dug 
up  the  cemented  floor,  and  boiled  it  to  get  the  salt  which 
had  accumulated  on  it  from  year  to  year.  Parched  peas 
or  rye  stood  for  coffee  in  the  rebel  bill  of  fare.  Molasses 
took  the  place  of  sugar  until  the  supply  gave  out  altogether. 
Tea,  sweetmeats,  cake,  and  calico  were  out  of  the  question. 
In  the  winter  of  1863-64  there  was  a  "Starvation  Club," 
which  met  in  Richmond  every  Tuesday  evening,  where  the 
refreshments  consisted  of  cold  water.  Women  plaited  pretty 
rice-straw  hats  for  themselves,  and  trimmed  them  with  cocks' 
tails.  Old  silk  dresses,  of  every  color  and  style,  were  set  off 
by  those  made  of  homespun  cotton  cloth ;  and  the  brave 
girls  who  wore  them  never  once  wished  for  Northern  fash 
ions  or  finery.  Towns  and  cities  freely  gave  their  church- 
bells  to  be  cast  into  cannon.  Envelopes  were  made  of 
wall-paper  with  the  figures  inside,  while  leaves  of  old  ac 
count-books  served  for  letter-paper.  But  for  the  pluck 
which  proved  them  near  of  kin  to  the  hated  "Yankees," 
the  Confederates  would  have  given  up  the  struggle  long 
before.  In  no  way  was  the  feeling  of  bitterness  manifested 
to  such  a  degree  as  by  their  treatment  of  the  Union  pris 
oners.  They  refused  to  exchange  colored  troops,  and  even 
ordered  the  shooting  of  white  officers  captured  while  com 
manding  them.  Mr.  Lincoln  quickly  ended  this  state  of 


i863.]  A  Peep  Inside.  495 

affairs,  however,  by  ordering,  that  for  every  Union  soldier 
thus  executed  a  Confederate  prisoner  should  die ;  also,  if 
colored  troops  were  enslaved  again,  Confederate  prisoners 
should  be  put  at  hard  labor  on  the  public  works. 

In  1 86 1  there  was  a  three-story  warehouse  on  the  corner 
of  Carey  and  Twentieth  Streets  in  the  city  of  Richmond, 
backing  upon  the  Canal  and  James  River.  A  plain  sign 
board  upon  one  corner  bore  the  inscription  :  — 


LIBBY    &    SON, 

SHIP-CHANDLERS. 


That  warehouse  became  the  famous  Libby  Prison.  At 
one  time  twelve  thousand  Union  prisoners,  officers  of  all 
grades,  were  confined  within  its  walls.  Nearly  all  the  win 
dows  were  broken  ;  and  the  climate  of  Virginia,  always  severe 
in  its  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  was  especially  trying  to  the 
half-clad  and  half-starved  inmates.  Only  one  blanket  was 
allowed  to  each  :  many  had  none.  The  food  was  scanty, 
stale,  and  maggoty.  But  bitter  as  was  the  lot  of  officers 
within  the  walls  of  Libby  Prison,  that  of  private  soldiers 
upon  Belle-Isle,  in  the  James  River,  was  far  worse.  The 
bridge  over  which  the  prisoners  crossed  from  the  mainland 
has  well  been  called  the  modern  "  Bridge  of  Sighs."  One 
part  of  the  island  was  rolling  and  wooded ;  but,  even  in  the 
heat  of  a  summer's  sun,  the  captives  were  not  allowed  to 
seek  the  shade  of  the  hill.  With  no  shelter  from  heat  or 
cold,  eleven  thousand  men  were  confined  by  well-guarded 
earthworks  within  a  space  of  five  acres.  They  had  so  little 
to  eat  that  they  would  quarrel  over  a  tablespoonful  of  corn- 
meal.  The  poor  wretches  sometimes  spoke  of  the  North  as 


496      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1864. 

"God's  country."  No  wonder  that  they  often  felt  as  if 
He  had  forgotten  them  in  their  land  of  bondage.  "  From 
his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  work  required  of  him,"  the  su 
preme  control  of  rebel  prisons  was  given  to  General  John  H. 
Winder,  once  an  officer  in  the  service  of  the  United  States. 
At  the  beginning  of  1864  he  left  Richmond  to  direct  the 
management  of  the  prison-camp  at  Andersonville,  near 
Macon,  Ga.  His  trusty  lieutenant,  Captain  Henry  Wirz, 
carried  out  Winder's  orders  with  cruel  variations.  The  camp 
was  enclosed  by  a  strong  stockade.  No  buildings,  trees, 
huts,  or  tents  were  allowed  within  the  enclosure.  A  lazy 
stream  six  inches  deep,  which  ran  through  a  marshy  hollow, 
supplied  the  prisoners  with  their  only  water,  making  this  pen 
too  foul  and  loathsome  to  be  described.  The  clothes  of  the 
captives  were  tattered,  dirty,  and  covered  with  vermin ;  and 
the  little  food  allowed  them  was  disgusting  beyond  the  power 
of  the  happy  reader  to  imagine.  Many  a  poor  fellow  starved 
to  death.  It  was  Winder  who  invented  "the  dead-line."  A 
row  of  posts  three  feet  high  was  placed  thirty  feet  inside  the 
stockade,  and  to  these  was  fastened  a  light  rail.  Any  pris 
oner  who  should  so  much  as  extend  a  part  of  his  body  over 
this  rail  was  instantly  shot.  One  night,  when  death  seemed 
very  near  these  thirsty,  hungry  prisoners,  a  heavy  thunder 
storm  burst  upon  them.  Scarcely  had  the  sky  cleared,  when 
a  pure,  cool  spring  gushed  out  of  the  hillside,  and  is  flowing 
to-day. 

Shrink  as  we  may,  after  the  lapse  of  years,  from  recalling 
those  dark  days,  simple  justice  to  the  memory  of  those  who 
died  in  rebel  prisons  forbids  us  to  pass  by  their  sufferings. 
It  is  urged  in  apology,  that  the  Confederates  had  neither 
food  nor  clothing  enough  for  their  own  soldiers,  and  there 
fore  they  could  not  supply  their  prisoners.  Even  if  this 
were  true,  it  cannot  excuse  the  brutal  cruelty  of  personal 
treatment  given  to  the  Union  prisoners. 


i864.|  A  Peep  Inside,  497 

In  grateful  contrast  let  us  return  to  the  North,  where 
noble  bands  of  men  and  women  devoted  their  lives  to  the 
sick  and  wounded  in  hospitals  and  on  battle-fields.  As 
far  as  possible,  the  government  provided  for  the  needs  of 
its  soldiers ;  but,  to  cover  the  deficiencies,  two  great  socie 
ties  were  organized,  known  as  the  Sanitary  and  Christian 
Commissions.  The  former  supplied  trained  nurses,  delica 
cies,  and  comforts  for  the  sick.  At  the  close  of  the  war  it 
had  expended,  in  money  and  material,  twenty  millions  of 
dollars.  Immense  fairs  were  held  in  all  the  large  cities  to 
carry  on  the  work,  the  results  of  which  were  magnificent. 
General  Grant  was  asked  to  contribute  something  to  the  fair 
in  Chicago ;  and  he  gave  his  cream-colored  horse,  "  Old 
Jack."  When  he  reached  the  city,  the  general  found  "  Old 
Tack  "  all  saddled  and  bridled,  waiting  for  his  master,  and 
the  crowd  insisted  that  Grant  should  ride.  A  hundred  guns 
saluted  him,  and  deafening  cheers  rent  the  air.  Jeff.  Davis's 
revolver  was  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the  fair.  The  war- 
eagle  was  another.  Photographs  of  "  Old  Abe  "  were  sold 
by  children  to  the  amount  of  sixteen  thousand  dollars.  The 
original  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  brought  three  thou 
sand  dollars.  It  was  unfortunately  destroyed  in  the  great 
Chicago  fire  in  1871.  The  fair  in  Chicago  netted  one-quarter 
of  a  million  of  dollars. 

The  Christian  Commission,  originating  with  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  New  York,  was  soon  in 
active  operation  all  over  the  country.  Its  object  was  to 
afford  moral  and  religious  instruction  to  the  soldiers,  while, 
as  far  as  possible,  it  also  distributed  comforts.  It  scattered 
Bibles,  hymn-books,  newspapers,  books,  and  magazines 
among  the  men.  It  held  daily  prayer-meetings  in  every 
camp,  and  through  its  means  the  Bible  was  read  to  eager 
groups  at  some  hour  of  every  day.  Pleasant  rooms  in  all 
prominent  cities  or  camps  were  provided  with  books  and 


498      Voting  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1864. 

writing-materials,  where  soldiers  were  welcome  to  rest,  or  to 
read  and  write.  At  such  places,  signs  like  these  were  hung 
upon  the  walls  :  — 


SOLDIERS' 

FREE 
WRITING-MATERIALS. 


SIT    DOWN 

AND 
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In  Philadelphia  there  were  two  immense  Volunteer  Re 
freshment  Saloons,  where  food  was  given  to  passing  troops. 
Clean  and  comfortable  prison-camps  were  provided  for  rebel 
prisoners  :  among  the  largest  were  Camp  Chase  at  Colum 
bus,  O.,  Camp  Douglas  in  Chicago,  and  one  at  Elmira,  N.Y. 
Wholesome  food  was  provided  in  abundance  for  the  prison 
ers,  and  charitable  people  sent  delicacies  to  the  sick. 

Toward  the  close  of  1864,  came  the  election  of  a  Presi 
dent  for  the  next  four  years.  The  opposing  candidates 
were  Abraham  Lincoln,  Republican,  and  General  George 
B.  McClellan,  Democratic.  We  know  Mr.  Lincoln's  "  plat 
form,"  or  creed  of  political  belief.  The  Democratic  plat 
form  declared  that  "  the  Union  must  be  preserved  at  all 
hazards,"  —  without  slavery  if  possible,  but  with  it  if  neces 
sary,  — •  and  that  the  war  had  been  a  failure.  Strange  as  it 
may  seem,  many  loyal  people  who  had  been  in  favor  of  the 
war  at  its  beginning  were  now  discouraged  and  tired  of  sac 
rifices.  McClellan's  prospects  of  election,  therefore,  bright 
ened  at  every  Union  defeat.  To  make  matters  worse, 
another  draft  was  ordered  just  before  McClellan's  nomina 
tion  ;  and  the  "  Peace  Democrats  "  put  into  their  platform 
a  resolution  of  sympathy  with  "  the  poor  soldier,"  intended 
to  secure  his  vote.  From  the  moment  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  renominated,  the  enemies  of  the  government  used 
every  means  to  prevent  his  re-election.  A  band  of  con- 


1864.1  A  Peep  Inside.  501 

spirators  was  organized  to  stop  the  war,  and  give  the  Con 
federates  "  a  government  of  their  own  choice."  One  spoke 
in  the  wheel  of  their  great  scheme,  was  to  liberate  the  eight 
thousand  Confederate  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago. 
They  were  to  be  joined  by  the  "  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Circle,"  who  were  scattered  throughout  the  West  and  South, 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  strong.  Providentially,  how 
ever,  Colonel  B.  J.  Sweet,  who  commanded  Camp  Douglas, 
found  out  the  plot.  Suspecting  something  wrong,  he  caused 
some  of  the  many  letters  written  by  the  prisoners  to  be  held 
before  a  fire,  when,  lo  !  it  brought  out  the  evidence  of  a 
well-arranged  scheme  for  an  uprising  on  the  4th  of  July. 
He  took  measures  to  prevent  its  success,  and  it  was  post 
poned  until  the  night  of  the  election  of  President  Lincoln. 
Just  as  all  was  ready,  Colonel  Sweet  arrested  the  ringleaders 
in  the  camp  and  city,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  State  of  Illi 
nois.  So  the  danger  passed. 

The  timely  fall  of  Atlanta  no  doubt  affected  public  opin 
ion  ;  for  on  the  8th  of  November  Mr.  Lincoln  was  re-elected, 
receiving  nearly  half  a  million  more  votes  than  were  cast  for 
General  McClellan. 


502      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.     [1864. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    END. 

SLOWLY  but  surely,  like  the  walls  of  the  famous  "  con 
tracting  chamber,"  the  Union  lines  were  closing  around 
the  Confederates.  At  the  opening  of  1865  they  held  but 
three  great  seaports.  Although  Charleston  harbor  was  well 
blockaded,  and  Mobile  Bay  was  in  Federal  possession, 
neither  city  had  surrendered.  Wilmington  still  carried  on 
a  brisk  trade  with  blockade-runners,  "  without  let  or  hin- 
derance."  A  "iarge  land  force  was  necessary  to  co-operate 
with  the  navy  for  the  capture  of  these  cities,  and  it  had  not 
been  thought  wise  heretofore  to  withdraw  troops  for  that 
purpose.  In  November,  however,  General  Butler  under 
took  an  expedition  for  the  capture  of  Wilmington's  stanch 
sentry,  —  Fort  Fisher.  Admiral  D.  D.  Porter  conducted 
the  war-fleet,  and  General  Godfrey  Weitzel  commanded  the 
troops.  On  the  i3th  of  December  they  set  sail,  —  the 
largest  fleet  that  had  ever  left  Hampton  Roads.  Butler's 
head  was  full  of  a  gunpowder  plot  for  the  capture  of  Fort 
Fisher,  and  after  some  delay  he  secured  Grant's  permis 
sion  to  try  it.  He  knew  that  buildings  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  shock  of  gunpowder  a  long  way  off  from  the  real 
explosion.  He  reasoned,  that  to  set  off  a  shipload  of  powder 
near  the  fort  would  knock  down  its  walls,  and  spread  panic 
in  its  garrison.  The  Louisiana  was  therefore  loaded  with 
two  hundred  and  fifteen  tons  of  gunpowder,  and  disguised 
as  a  blockade-runner.  The  powder  was  placed  in  barrels 


1864.]  The  Beginning  of  the  End.  503 

and  canvas  bags.  Through  each  a  fuze  was  passed ;  and  a 
clock-work  apparatus  was  connected  with  the  fuzes  and  with 
candles,  by  which,  when  they  burned  down  to  a  certain 
point,  they  would  all  go  off  at  the  same  moment.  A  pile 
of  kindlings  was  also  to  be  lighted  in  the  cabin.  On  the 
night  of  Dec.  23  the  monster  torpedo  was  anchored  near 
Fort  Fisher. 

Although  the  Louisiana  was  a  steamer,  probably  to  avoid 
the  danger  of  an  explosion  before  the  time,  she  was  towed 
by  the  Wilderness  until  she  was  near  her  destination.  She 
then  steamed  to  a  point  three  hundred  yards  north-east  of 
Fort  Fisher,  when  her  anchor  was  dropped,  her  fires  hauled, 
and  her  crew  put  in  the  boat  in  which  they  were  to  leave 
the  ship.  Commodore  A.  C.  Rhind  and  Lieutenant  S.  W. 
Preston  then  lighted  the  candles  and  the  fires  in  the  cabin, 
and  got  in  the  boat  with  the  crew. 

They  reached  the  steamer  which  was  waiting  for  them, 
precisely  at  midnight.  As  soon  as  they  were  on  board,  the 
Wilderness  steamed  off  as  fast  as  she  could  to  a  distance  of 
twelve  miles,  to  escape  the  shock  of  the  Louisiana's  explo 
sion.  No  doubt  they  were  glad  to  put.  so  great  a  space  be 
tween  themselves  and  the  novel  engine  of  war  which  seemed 
so  terrible. 

The  Wilderness  finally  anchored,  and,  after  waiting  for 
almost  two  hours,  a  heavy  boom  was  heard  at  the  fort,  but 
was  scarcely  noticed,  although  the  fleet  twelve  miles  away  felt 
the  .shock,  and  glass  was  broken  at  that  distance.  Butler's 
experiment  had  failed. 

Now  that  so  much  had  already  been  done,  Porter  de 
termined  to  open  his  guns  upon  Fort  Fisher  without  wait 
ing  for  Butler.  He  therefore  began  the  bombardment  the 
next  morning.  In  the  evening,  just  after  the  engagement 
had  ceased,  Butler  arrived ;  and  on  the  next  day,  which 
was  Christmas,  under  cover  of  Porter's  guns  he  landed 


504      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 

his  troops.  General  Weitzel  strongly  advised  against  an  as 
sault  upon  the  sand-walls  of  Fort  Fisher,  which,  if  skilfully 
defended,  ought  to  resist  any  force.  From  a  prisoner,  also, 
Butler  learned  that  the  garrison  had  been  re-enforced :  so 
he  withdrew,  and  re-embarked  his  troops.  Butler's  failure 
resulted  in  his  removal  from  command.  But  another  expe 
dition  to  take  Fort  Fisher  was  immediately  organized  by 
General  Alfred  H.  Terry.  On  the  i3th  of  January  the 
Union  fleet  "again  anchored  off  Fort  Fisher.  Porter  re 
newed  his  bombardment  vigorously,  and  kept  it  up  for  two 
days,  till  the  troops  arrived.  At  three  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  1 5th  Terry  ordered  an  assault  from  the  land  side,  at  the 
same  time  that  Porter  fired  from  the  ships.  An  opening 
was  quickly  made  in  the  palisades,  through  which  the  Union 
troops  pressed.  Fighting  from  one  point  to  another,  the 
rebels  bravely  contested  every  step.  At  length  their  com 
mander,  General  Whiting,  mortally  wounded,  was  captured. 
Discouraged  by  the  loss  of  their  leader,  and  feeling  that 
further  resistance  was  hopeless,  the  garrison  surrendered  at 
midnight.  The  loss  on  both  sides  had  been  heavy. 

In  the  mean  while  Schofield,  no  longer  needed  in  Ten 
nessee,  arrived  at  Fort  Fisher  with  his  command,  and  took 
charge  of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina.  He  there 
fore  proceeded  northward  on  both  sides  of  Cape  Fear 
River,  while  Porter's  fleet  advanced  up  the  stream.  Hoke, 
Bragg's  "best  man,"  had  evacuated  Fort  Anderson,  and  the 
rebels  had  blown  up  Fort  Caswell.  On  the  morning  of 
Feb.  22  the  Union  army  entered  the  deserted  city,  whose 
capture  was  necessary  in  order  to  supply  Sherman's  army 
then  marching  northward  from  Savannah.  On  his  way  to 
Goldsboro',  Schofield  met  Hoke  in  two  battles,  beating  him 
in  the  second,  but  being  beaten  in  the  first. 

Wishing  to  threaten  the  city  of  Charleston,  and  to  force 
a  large  body  of  men  to  remain  there  for  its  defence,  Sher- 


1865.]  TJie  Beginning  of  the  End.  505 

man  had  sent  Howard's  corps  to  Pocataligo,  on  the  railway 
between  Charleston  and  Savannah.  It  was  also  generally 
supposed  that  Augusta  was  to  be  attacked,  although  Sher 
man  had  really  no  such  intention.  Leaving  a  strong  garri 
son  at  Savannah,  under  General  Foster,  on  the  ist  of 
February  the  army  took  up  its  line  of  march  again.  Its 
destination  was  Goldsboro',  on  the  Neuse  River ;  but  this 
was  kept  secret,  for  fear  that  the  rebels  would  hear  of  it, 
and  resist  in  force.  It  was  a  long  and  dangerous  road. 
Constant  and  heavy  rains  swelled  the  streams,  and  made 
the  daily  tramp  most  difficult.  General  John  A.  Logan 
had  succeeded  Osterhaus  in  command  of  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  but  no  other  important  changes  had  been  made 
since  the  army  left  Atlanta.  Arrived  at  the  Salkahatchie 
River,  the  passage  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps  was  strongly 
disputed ;  but  Generals  Mower  and  Smith,  who  were  in 
advance,  led  their  men  through  water  waist-deep,  and  put 
the  rebels  to  flight  on  the  other  side.  General  Wager 
Swayne  lost  a  leg  in  the  fight,  but  few  were  killed.  Near 
Midway,  on  the  Augusta  and  Charleston  Railroad,  Howard 
halted  his  column  to  prepare  for  the  fight  which  he  natu 
rally  expected  there.  As  that  general  and  his  staff  were  rest 
ing  by  the  roadside,  an  odd-looking  man  on  an  old  white 
horse,  with  rope  for  bridle,  and  blanket  for  saddle,  dashed 
down  the  road  at  breakneck  speed,  shouting,  "  Hurry  up, 
general !  We've  got  the  railroad,  and  we'll  hold  it  against 
any  force  till  you  come  up."  It  was  true.  Some  foragers 
had  "got  ahead,  and  actually  captured  the  South  Carolina 
Railroad,  a  line  of  vital  importance  to  the  rebel  govern 
ment."  Then  followed  the  complete  destruction  of  the  rail 
road  for  thirty  miles ;  after  which  the  army  pressed  north 
ward,  across  the  Edisto  and  Congaree  Rivers,  straight  on 
Columbia,  the  capital  of  South  Carolina.  On  the  morn 
ing  of  Feb.  1 7  the  mayor  came  out,  and  surrendered  that 


506      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 

city  to  General  Sherman.  The  Union  troops  then  marched 
in,  with  Sherman,  Howard,  and  Logan  at  their  head. 

General  Wade  Hampton  had  ordered  all  the  cotton  in 
Columbia  to  be  burned.  A  strong  wind  was  blowing,  and 
spread  the  fire  rapidly  :  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the 
soldiers,  it  could  not  be  put  out.  It  seemed  as  if  every 
man,  woman,  and  child,  white  or  black,  must  be  in  the 
streets,  so  dense  was  the  throng  of  anxious,  frightened  faces. 
The  name  "  Yankee "  struck  terror  to  their  hearts ;  and 
it  is  humiliating  to  own  that  there  was  good  reason  to  dread 
the  soldiers,  for  in  many  cases  they  had  not  behaved  well. 
Many  stories  are  told  of  their  destruction  of  private  prop 
erty,  which  they  would  scarcely  have  liked  to  tell  to  their 
children.  As  General  Sherman  rode  through  Columbia, 
picking  his  way  through  the  burning  cotton,  a  man  thrust 
a  folded  paper  into  his  hand,  asking  him  to  read  it  at  his 
leisure.  It  proved  to  be  the  stirring  poem,  "  Sherman's 
March  to  the  Sea,"  which  has  been  sung  at  almost  every 
soldiers'  re-union  from  that  day  to  this.  It  was  given  him 
by  the  author,  Adjutant  G.  H.  M.  Byers,  who  wrote  it  while 
in  a  rebel  prison  at  Columbia. 

Sherman  has  been  unjustly  charged  with  having  burned 
Columbia.  The  fire  originated  with  the  burning  cotton ; 
and,  although  the  Union  soldiers  worked  heroically,  it  was 
only  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  the  flames  were  put  out 
before  every  house  was  burned.  Sherman  kindly  provided 
both  food  and  shelter  for  the  hungry  and  homeless  inhab 
itants.  All  public  buildings  were  destroyed,  —  churches, 
schools,  State  House,  and  Confederate  Mint.  Plenty  of 
unfinished  Confederate  notes  were  found,  to  which  the  sol 
diers  helped  themselves.  Even  now  one  of  these  "  promises 
to  pay  "  is  sometimes  brought  to  light  by  some  relic-hunter. 

Upon  leaving  Columbia,  Sherman  took  the  route  to  Char 
lotte ;  but  that  was  only  a  make-believe,. as  his  real  course 


1865.  |  The  Beginning  of  the  End.  509 

lay  through  Cheravv,  where  he  arrived  on  the  3Oth  of  March. 
The  journey  was  very  tedious,  for  it  rained  continually ;  and 
the  roads  were  so  heavy,  that  the  greater  part  of  the  way  had 
to  be  "  corduroyed,"  or  bridged  with  logs  placed  crosswise. 

General  Sherman  was  an  object  of  curiosity  and  awe  to 
the  negroes.  One  day,  as  he  was  riding  a  very  handsome 
horse,  he  stopped  to  talk  with  a  group  of  negroes  about  the 
road.  "  They  say  Massa  Sherman  will  be  along  soon,"  said 
one.  "  Why,  that  was  General  Sherman  that  you  were  talk 
ing  to,"  replied  an  officer.  "  De  great  God  !  "  exclaimed 
the  negro.  "  Look  at  his  hoss  !  "  Sherman  says  that  the 
fellow  trotted  by  his  side  for  a  long  way,  admiring  the 
"  hoss  "  far  more  than  the  rider. 

Cheraw  was  found  deserted  by  the  rebels,  but  full  of  sup 
plies  for  hungry  men  and  cattle.  There  Sherman  heard  that 
Johnston  had  succeeded  to  Beauregard's  command,  with  the 
purpose  of  opposing  his  own  march  northward ;  but  he  also 
learned  of  the  surrender  of  Wilmington,  and  that  Hardee 
had  evacuated  the  city  of  Charleston  on  the  i8th,  the  day 
after  Sherman  entered  Columbia.  Having  determined  to 
leave  Charleston,  Hardee  had  detailed  a  force  to  fire  every 
building  in  which  cotton  was  stored.  The  result  was  the 
destruction  of  a  large  portion  of  the  city.  Some  boys,  play 
ing  with  powder  which  was  stored  in  a  railway-station,  care 
lessly  spilled  it  along  the  ground.  The  train  thus  made  was 
accidentally  set  off,  and  a  terrific  explosion  followed,  killing 
many  people,  and  doing  great  damage  to  property.  At 
length,  through  the  untiring  efforts  of  Gillmore's  soldiers, 
who  had  entered  Charleston,  the  flames  were  put  out.  The 
mayor  having  surrendered  the  city,  a  military  governor  was 
appointed,  by  whose  firm  and  wise  administration  of  the 
laws,  peace  and  quiet  were  soon  restored.  The  Union  flag 
was  raised  over  Sumter  and  the  other  forts  in  the  harbor. 
But  by  order  of  the  President,  on  the  i4th  of  April,  a  few 


5io      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 

weeks  later,  on  the  anniversary  of  its  dishonor,  the  same  old 
flag  was  again  flung  out  to  the  breeze  by  the  hands  of  the 
gallant  General  Anderson,  while  the  band  played  the  "  Star- 
spangled  Banner,"  and  every  fort  in  the  .harbor  gave  it  wel 
come.  The  Rev.  Matthew  Harris,  the  same  chaplain  who 
asked  God's  protection  for  the  little  band  in  December, 
1860,  again  offered  a  prayer. 

After  leaving  Charleston,  Hardee  managed  to  join  Beau- 
regard  on  the  border  of  North  Carolina.  They  went  to 
Cheraw  and  Florence,  and  afterward  to  Fayetteville,  whither 
Sherman  followed  on  the  nth  of  March.  At  Fayetteville, 
Wade  Hampton  surprised  Kilpatrick,  capturing  the  house 
in  which  he  was.  Kilpatrick  and  most  of  his  command 
escaped,  however,  and,  turning  back,  put  the  enemy  to 
flight.  After  that,  skirmishes  were  an  almost  every-day 
occurrence.  At  Bentonville,  on  Sunday,  March  19,  the  Con 
federates  made  a  resolute  attack  under  Johnston,  with  the 
remnants  of  the  armies  of  Hardee,  Hood,  and  Bragg.  The 
day's  march  had  just  begun,  when  the  sound  of  firing  was 
heard.  Sherman  supposed  it  to  be  the  usual  skirmish  with 
Wade  Hampton.  Instead  of  that,  Johnston  with  his  whole 
army  had  struck  Slocum's  advancing  column.  It  was  a 
hard-fought  battle,  lasting  all  day.  Johnston  felt  that  it 
was  the  "  last  chance  of  the  Confederacy,"  and  he  im 
proved  his  opportunity.  At  first,  with  the  shock  and  sur 
prise,  the  Federals  rapidly  lost  ground ;  but  at  length  Jeff. 
C.  Davis's  command  made  a  stand,  with  orders  to  "  fight 
it  out."  They  repelled  charge  after  charge,  and  came  out 
at  dark  victorious.  After  the  battle  General  Mitchell  threw 
himself  down  upon  a  blanket  to  sleep,  when  a  rebel  orderly 
gave  him  this  singular  message  :  "  Colonel  Hardee  presents 
his  compliments  to  you,  and  asks  that  you  will  apprise  your 
line  that  he  is  forming  in  your  front  to  charge  the  Yankees 
on  your  left."  —  "  What  Colonel  Hardee?"  asked  General 


1865.]  TJic  Beginning  of  tJie  End,  513 

Mitchell.  "  Colonel  Hardee  of  the  Twenty-third  Georgia, 
commanding  a  brigade  in  Hoke's  division,"  replied  the 
messenger.  General  Mitchell  invited  the  young  man  to  take 
supper  if  he  had  not  already  done  so  :  and,  calling  a  staff- 
officer,  he  sent  the  messenger  to  the  rear,  a  prisoner ;  for, 
in  the  confusion  which  had  grown  out  of  the  battle,  he  had 
made  the  mistake  of  communicating  his  message  to  the 
wrong  commander.  General  Mitchell  quickly  drew  his  men 
up  in  order  of  battle.  One  loud  tap  of  the  drum,  and  a 
volley  was  fired  low ;  "  and  the  next  morning  there  was  dis 
played  in  front  of  our  works,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "among 
the  dead,  a  line  of  new  Enfield  rifles  and  knapsacks  almost 
as  straight  as  if  laid  out  for  a  Sunday  morning's  inspec 
tion."  Defeat  would  have  been  disastrous.  Success  was 
bravely  won.  This  was  the  last  and  only  hard-fought  battle 
between  Savannah  and  Goldsboro'. 

On  the  23d  of  March  the  goal  was  reached,  the  march 
was  done.  Four  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  had  been 
tramped  in  the  dead  of  winter,  and  Goldsboro'  was  won. 
Schofield  and  Terry  joined  Sherman  at  Goldsboro',  thus  in 
creasing  the  Union  strength  to  nearly  ninety  thousand  men. 
There  was  no  lack  of  provision  for  such  an  army ;  for  com 
munication  was  established  with  Wilmington,  Newbern,  and 
Norfolk. 

Leaving  Schofield  in  charge  of  affairs  at  Goldsboro',  Sher 
man  hastened  to  City  Point  for  consultation  with  Grant. 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  also  there,  full  of  interest  in  Sherman's 
great  march,  and  amused  by  every  incident  connected  with 
it.  But  the  President  often  said  that  he  would  feel  better  if 
Sherman  were  back  with  his  army  at  Goldsboro'.  Sherman 
has  thus  borne  testimony  to  the  character  of  the  kindly 
President :  "  Of  all  the  men  whom  I  ever  met,  he  seemed 
to  possess  more  of  the  elements  of  greatness  combined  with 
goodness  than  any  other." 


514      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1865. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  Stoneman  left  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  at 
the  head  of  a  body  of  cavalry,  and  rode  into  Virginia,  de 
stroying  the  railroad  from  Tennessee  almost  to  Lynchburg, 
so  as  to  keep  Lee  from  getting  away  toward  the  south. 
Stoneman  then  dashed  into  Salisbury,  N.C.,  routing  the 
Confederates,  and  capturing  the  town.  The  prisoners  had 
already  been  sent  away  from  the  prison-camp,  so  that  he 
had  not  the  satisfaction  of  releasing  them.  He  returned 
to  East  Tennessee,  after  destroying  every  line  of  railroad  in 
his  way  and  a  large  amount  of  rebel  property. 

About  the  same  time  Generals  Grierson  and  A.  J.  Smith, 
with  their  forces,  were  sent  to  assist  General  Canby  in  the 
capture  of  Mobile,  which  was  commanded  by  General  D.  S. 
Maury.  All  that  country  was  subject,  however,  to  General 
Dick  Taylor's  orders.  General  Canby  attacked  the  strong 
est  point,  the  old  Spanish  Fort,  on  the  2yth  of  March. 
Soon,  however,  it  became  apparent  that  nothing  less  than  a 
siege  could  capture  it :  so  both  land  and  naval  forces  opened 
a  bombardment  upon  it.  At  the  same  time  General  Steele, 
with  a  division  of  colored  troops,  battered  away  upon  Fort 
Blakely,  ten  miles  to  the  north.  A  fortnight  of  hard  fighting 
passed,  during  which  the  rebels  at  the  Spanish  Fort  made 
some  desperate  sallies  outside  of  their  works.  On  the  8th, 
however,  the  Federals  assaulted  and  carried  a  part  of  the 
works,  when  the  fort  was  immediately  abandoned,  and  Canby 
took  possession.  The  fleet  then  moved  up  to  bombard  the 
city,  and  the  army  turned  its  attention  to  Fort  Blakely.  The 
assault  upon  the  latter  resembled,  in  its  determined  bravery, 
that  upon  Fort  McAllister ;  and,  although  strongly  fortified 
and  gallantly  defended,  it  yielded  at  last.  On  the  nth  of 
April,  Mobile,  the  last  seaport  of  the  Confederacy,  was  cap 
tured,  and  with  it  two  hundred  guns  and  four  thousand 
prisoners.  While  the  siege  had  been  going  on,  General 
James  H.  Wilson  had  moved  into  the  interior  of  Alabama 


1865.]  The  Beginning  of  the  End.  5 1 5 

with  a  mounted  army,  to  keep  the  rebels  from  sending  sup 
plies  and  re-enforcements  to  Mobile.  He  constantly  en 
countered  the  enemy's  cavalry ;  but  his  advance  was  not 
seriously  hindered  until  he  met  Forrest,  with  five  thousand 
men,  near  Plantersville.  Here  Greek  met  Greek.  After  a 
short  but  bloody  battle,  Forrest  was  defeated.  Wilson  pur 
sued  him  to  Selma,  where,  on  the  20!  of  April,  the  rebel 
works  were  taken  by  assault,  with  three  thousand  prisoners. 
Forrest  fled  before  the  Federals ;  first,  however,  setting  fire 
to  all  the  cotton  on  which  he  could  lay  his  hands.  Wilson 
destroyed  arsenals,  founderies,  and  machine-shops  at  Selma, 
and  then  pushed  on  to  Montgomery,  the  capital  of  Alabama. 
The  State  authorities  surrendered  without  resistance ;  and 
the  Union  flag  was  raised  over  the  State  House,  where  the 
first  Confederate  Congress  had  met.  Wilson  then  crossed 
the  Chattahoochee,  and  captured  Columbus,  Ga.,  destroying 
its  workshops  and  Confederate  property.  On  the  2ist  of 
April,  Macon  was  peaceably  surrendered,  with  sixty  field- 
guns,  twelve  thousand  Home  Guards,  and  five  generals  of 
the  State  militia. 


516     Young  Folks'  History  of  tJie  Civil   War.     [1865. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

AT    CLOSE    QUARTERS. 

GENERAL  LEE'S  position,  caged  up  within  the  lines 
of  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  had  come  to  be  far 
from  comfortable.  His  only  means  of  communication  was 
the  Southside  Railroad,  leading  to  Lynchburg,  by  which  all 
his  supplies  were  drawn.  Early  in  February,  Grant  sent  a 
force  to  capture  that ;  but  Lee,  too  well  aware  of  its  neces 
sity  to  give  it  up,  stoutly  resisted  the  attack,  which  ended 
in  the  repulse  of  the  Union  troops,  although  they  had 
gained  advantage  in  position.  No  doubt  Mr.  Lincoln's 
inauguration,  on  the  4th  of  March,  dealt  the  death-blow  to 
Lee's  hopes ;  for  he  knew  the  man,  and  that  nothing  short 
of  unconditional  surrender  without  slavery  would  satisfy 
him. 

In  February,  Sheridan,  who  was  still  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  was  ordered  to  take  Lynchburg.  The  attempt  was 
made  ;  but,  finding  it  too  well  defended  to  attack,  he  made 
his  way  to  Grant,  at  Petersburg,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
2yth  of  March.  On  the  25th  Lee  had  made  an  effort  to 
free  himself  by  a  sudden  attack  upon  the  Union  works,  in 
which  he  captured  Fort  Steedman  with  five  hundred  prison 
ers.  He  then  turned  the  Federal  guns  upon  the  Federal 
lines,  and  for  a  little  while  the  enemy  was  master  of  the 
situation.  It  did  not  take  long,  however,  to  mass  the  Union 
batteries  on  all  sides  against  Fort  Steedman,  which  was  soon 
retaken  with  two  thousand  prisoners.  Grant  then  sent 


i865.| 


At  Close  Quarters. 


Sheridan  around  to  the  south  and  west  of  Petersburg  to 
capture  the  Southside  Railway.  With  a  force  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  men,  he  started  on  the  291)1  of  March,  reach 
ing  Dinwiddie  Court-House  that  night.  It  rained  very 
hard  all  night  and  the  next  day  (Thursday)  ;  so  that  Sheri 
dan  could  do  but  little.  Lee,  on  the  other  hand,  lost  no 


SHERIDAN'S  CHARGE. 

time  in  arranging  his  troops  to  meet  the  attack,  of  which 
he  had  been  duly  informed.  On  Friday,  the  3ist,  Sheridan 
pushed  on  to  a  place  where  five  roads  meet,  called  Five 
Forks.  Here  he  found  Generals  Picket  and  Johnson,  at 
the  head  of  a  large  Confederate  force.  In  order  to  protect 
his  base  of  supplies,  Lee  had  wisely  left  his  defences  at 
Petersburg,  nearly  ten  miles  in  extent,  under  the  care  of 


518      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 

ten  thousand  men.  Sheridan's  advance  was  stoutly  resisted, 
and  after  a  sharp  battle  he  was  forced  back  beyond  the 
position  which  he  had  occupied  in  the  morning.  The  next 
day,  Saturday,  April  i,  Sheridan's  cavalry  assaulted  the 
enemy  behind  his  earthworks,  while  Warren  attacked  on 
his  left.  Late  in  the  day  the  brunt  of  the  battle  fell  upon 
Ayer's  troops.  Sheridan  inspired  them  with  courage  by  his 
own  example.  Seizing  the  battle-flag,  he  led  them  in  a  furi 
ous  charge,  ordering  the  bands  at  the  same  time  to  play. 
With  a  wild  shout  they  carried  the  enemy's  works.  The 
rebels  fled  from  the  field,  with  the  Union  cavalry  in  hot  pur 
suit.  Sheridan  took  nearly  six  thousand  prisoners.  While 
leading  the  charge  of  Ayer's  men,  just  when  the  hesitation 
of  a  single  man  might  spread  panic  among  them,  a  trooper 
was  mortally  hurt  by  a  ball,  and  reeled  in  his  saddle.  As 
he  was  about  to  fall,  Sheridan's  quick  eye  saw  him  ;  and, 
knowing  that  a  riderless  horse  might  demoralize  the  whole 
line,  he  shouted  cheerfully,  "  All  right,  my  man :  keep  right 
on  !  "  The  soldier  heard  and  obeyed.  He  rode  straight  on 
with  the  line  over  the  breastworks,  and  fell  dead  inside  the 
rebel  fortifications. 

The  army  at  Petersburg  welcomed  Sheridan's  victory  with 
loud  cheers.  The  sound  was  heard  in  a  low,  close  room 
full  of  sick  and  wounded  soldiers ;  and  some  one  asked 
what  it  meant.  When  a  nurse  explained  the  cause,  a  poor 
maimed  fellow  exclaimed,  "  Well,  boys,  that  pays  us  for  all 
our  suffering." 

Grant  ordered  the  enemy's  works  to  be  bombarded  all 
night,  and  very  early  the  next  morning  the  whole  line  in 
front  of  Petersburg  was  attacked.  Fort  Gregg  was  desper 
ately  assailed;  but  its  brave  little  rebel  garrison  of  three 
hundred  men  repulsed  the  Federals,  ten  times  their  number. 
For  an  hour  and  a  half  they  fought  like  tigers.  Suddenly 
a  deafening  cheer  rose  from  the  struggling  mass.  Fort 


i865.j  At  Close  Quarters.  519 

Gregg  had  been  taken.  The  enemy's  line  was  pierced,  and 
the  Confederate  army  divided.  Wright  was  already  de 
stroying  the  Southside  Railroad,  west  of  Petersburg.  From 
Petersburg  to  Five  Forks,  it  was  one  continuous  battle-field. 

Lee  was  at  that  time  in  the  city,  with  Generals  Mahone 
and  A.  P.  Hill,  trying  to  decide  upon  some  plan  of  action. 
The  sounds  of  battle  were  every  moment  growing  nearer. 
"How  is  this,  general?"  said  Lee.  "Your  men  are  giving 
way."  Hill  at  once  went  out,  and  with  a  single  orderly  rode 
toward  the  firing.  In  a  wooded  ravine  he  came  upon  sol 
diers  wearing  the  Federal  uniform.  With  astonishing  cool 
ness  Hill  dashed  upon  them,  and  ordered  them  to  surrender. 
They  hesitated  for  a  second,  and  then,  raising  their  rifles, 
fired ;  and  the  great  commander  fell  from  his  horse,  dead. 
Second  only  to  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson,  Hill  had  been  Lee's 
right  hand  through  all  the  varied  fortunes  of  the  war,  begin- 
ing  at  Bull  Run.  He  had  worn  the  badge  of  every  grade, 
from  a  colonel  of  infantry  to  that  of  lieutenant-general. 

It  was  a  beautiful  Sunday  morning  in  Richmond.  The  air 
was  full  of  the  scent  of  flowers  and  the  songs  of  birds,  when, 
in  his  pew  at  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  Mr.  Davis  devoutly 
confessed  his  sins.  He  had  good  reason  to  pray  that  God 
would  "  succor,  help,  and  comfort  all  who  are  in  danger, 
necessity,  and  tribulation."  A  messenger  entered  the  church, 
and  gave  him  a  despatch  which  announced  the  disaster 
at  Petersburg  and  the  necessity  of  immediate  flight.  Mr. 
Davis  rose,  and  walked  out  of  church  with  a  stately  step. 
Instead  of  announcing  the  usual  evening  service,  the  rector 
gave  notice,  that,  by  order  of  General  Ewell,  the  Home 
Guards  would  meet  at  three  o'clock.  Not  a  word  was  said 
about  the  defeat.  But  ill  tidings  speed  fast ;  and,  although  the 
people  were  never  warned,  it  became  apparent,  before  many 
hours,  that  the  city  was  being  evacuated.  Mr.  Davis  and  his 
cabinet  left  Richmond  that  evening  for  Danville  by  a  special 


520      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 

train.  Before  nightfall  the  Confederate  capital  presented  a 
scene  of  wild  disorder.  All  who  owned  movable  property 
were  trying  to  get  it  away.  The  city  council  ordered  liquors 
to  be  destroyed ;  but,  as  the  heads  of  casks  were  knocked 
out,  pails  were  filled,  and  a  maddened  mob  thronged  the 
streets.  Ewell  fired  several  large  tobacco  warehouses,  at  the 
same  time  withdrawing  his  garrison  ;  thus  depriving  the  town 
of  its  only  protection.  Libby  Prison  was  spared  from  the 
flames.  The  State  Penitentiary  being  no  longer  guarded, 
the  prisoners  escaped.  The  engine-hose  were  cut,  and  the 
fire  spread,  until  whole  blocks  of  buildings  were  burned. 
In  the  midst  of  it  all,  the  ground  was  shaken  by  the  explo 
sion  in  the  James  River  of  rams  and  gunboats,  which  had 
been  blown  up  by  Semmes's  order.  As  if  the  terror  and  suf 
fering  endured  by  the  citizens  of  Richmond  were  not  enough, 
on  Monday  morning,  soon  after  sunrise,  there  arose  the  cry, 
"The  Yankees  !  The  Yankees  !  "  No  doubt  the  people  ex 
pected  to  be  murdered  outright.  Instead,  however,  a  part 
of  the  Fourth  Massachusetts  Cavalry  rode  quietly  into  the 
town.  Lieutenant  De  Peyster,  one  of  General  WeitzePs  aides, 
a  youth  of  eighteen,  raised  the  Union  flag  on  the  Confeder 
ate  Capitol,  while  the  bands  played  National  airs.  Order 
was  quickly  restored.  The  fires  were  put  out,  and  guards 
were  established  over  the  city.  A  colored  regiment  entered 
Richmond,  and  witnessed  the  surrender.  The  next  morning 
the  telegraph  bore  the  news  to  the  North  that  Richmond 
had  fallen. 

Lee  in  the  mean  while  spent  the  short  hours  of  Sunday  in 
making  arrangements  to  leave  Petersburg  with  the  remnants 
of  his  army.  On  that  night,  April  2,  they  marched  out  of 
Petersburg,  and  hastened  across*  the  Appomattox  to  Amelia 
Court-House.  As  soon  as  he  learned  of  the  flight,  Grant 
started  in  pursuit,  with  the  intention  of  cutting  Lee  off  from 
Danville,  where  he  evidently  meant  to  go.  Lee  had  several 


1865.]  At  Close  Quarters.  521 

hours  the  start,  it  is  true  ;  but  as  his  supply-train  was  burned, 
and  his  army  was  faint  and  hungry,  he  was  obliged  to  wait 
at  Amelia  Court-House  for  his  foragers  to  bring  in  provision 
before  going  on.  Sheridan  reached  Jettersville,  a  few  miles 
to  the  west  of  Amelia  Court-House,  in  Lee's  front,  on  Tues 
day  afternoon.  On  Wednesday,  April  5,  Sheridan  destroyed 
one  of  Lee's  wagon-trains,  and  captured  many  prisoners. 
He  then  sent  a  despatch  to  Grant  with  news  of  his  suc 
cess,  adding,  "  I  wish  you  were  here  yourself.  If  things 
were  pressed,  I  think  Lee  would  surrender."  To  which 
Sheridan  received  the  characteristic  reply,  "Press  things." 
That  night  the  greater  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
came  up.  Of  course  Lee  heard  of  Sheridan's  movements ; 
and  instead  of  going  to  Burkesville,  as  he  had  intended,  he 
went  to  Farmville,  hoping  to  escape  to  Lynchburg,  across  the 
Appomattox  River.  The  sufferings  of  the  rebel  troops  were 
very  hard  to  bear,  and  sad  to  see.  Discouraged,  hungry, 
weary,  exhausted,  they  straggled  or  fell  by  the  way,  the  col 
umns  hourly  growing  thinner.  At  Sailor's  Creek,  Ewell's 
entire  corps  was  captured,  including  Semmes,  of  Alabama 
fame,  Custis  Lee,  a  son  of  General  R.  E.  Lee,  and  many 
other  officers.  But,  hurry  on  as  best  Lee  could,  the  Union 
army  was  at  his  heels.  Lee  got  across  the  Appomattox 
near  Farmville,  but  not  in  time  to  destroy  the  bridges. 
At  Farmville,  Grant  wrote  a  letter  to  Lee,  which  was  in 
tended  to  spare  him  the  humiliation  of  a  first  proposal  of 
surrender.  It  ran  thus  :  — 

APRIL  7,  1865. 

GENERAL,  —  The  result  of  last  week  must  convince  you  of  the 
hopelessness  of  further  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Army  of  North 
ern  Virginia  in  this  struggle.  I  feel  that  it  is  so,  and  regard  it  as  my 
duty  to  shift  from  myself  the  responsibility  of  any  further  effusion  of 
blood,  by  asking  of  you  the  surrender  of  that  portion  of  the  Con 
federate  States  army  known  as  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 

U.  S.  GRANT,  Lieutcnant-General 
GENERAL  R.  E.  LEE. 


522     Young  Folks'  History  of  tlic  Civil   War.     [1865. 

Lee's  own  officers  wished  him  to  surrender,  seeing  noth 
ing  but  hopeless  suffering  in  resistance.  Still  Lee  refused 
to  yield,  but  nevertheless  wrote  to  Grant,  asking  upon  what 
terms  he  would  receive  the  surrender.  Grant  answered,  that 
the  men  and  officers  must  not  again  take  up  arms  against 
the  United  States  until  released  or  exchanged. 

On  the  8th  of  April,  Custer,  Crook,  and  Merritt  were  off 
again  after  Lee,  halting  but  once  in  twenty-eight  miles. 
Arriving  at  Appomattox  Station,  Custer  seized  the  station, 
with  its  cars  and  engines  and  several  trains ;  but  it  cost  a 
bloody  battle  with  the  advance-guard  of  Lee's  army.  Early 
on  the  morning  of  April  9  Lee  advanced  hotly  upon  Sheri 
dan  at  Appomattox  Court-House,  supposing  his  force  to  be 
only  dismounted  cavalry,  while,  in  truth,  Ord  was  forming 
his  lines  of  infantry  in  a  wood  at  the  rear.  Crook  received 
the  rebel  shock,  and  fell  back  slowly  as  Gordon's  division 
rushed  upon  him  with  yells.  Suddenly  Sheridan's  cavalry 
withdrew  to  the  enemy's  left,  while  a  grim  line  of  bayonets 
advanced  at  double-quick  to  meet  General  Gordon.  Before 
the  remounted  cavalry  could  charge  upon  his  flank,  Lee 
displayed  a  flag  of  truce.  On  that  morning  he  had  received 
a  letter  from  Grant,  declining  Lee's  request  for  a  meeting  to 
discuss  the  terms  of  peace,  on  the  ground  that  he  (Grant) 
had  no  authority  to  do  so. 

After  the  battle  Sheridan  rode  over  to  Appomattox 
Court-House,  where  General  Gordon  positively  assured  him 
that  Lee  meant  to  surrender,  having  already  sent  to  ask  an 
interview  with  Grant  in  order  to  reconsider  the  matter. 
Well,  at  last  Grant  joined  Sheridan  ;  and,  with  the  members 
of  his  own  staff  and  several  other  officers,  he  entered  the 
house  of  Wilmer  McLean  at  Appomattox  Court-House, 
which  Lee  had  chosen  for  the  interview.  It  is  possible 
that  McLean  did  not  enjoy  the  honor  thus  unexpectedly 
thrust  upon  him.  Four  years  before,  the  first  battle  of 


1865.1  At  Close  Quarters,  525 

Bull  Run  had  been  fought  upon  his  farm.  In  order  to 
escape  the  tramp  of  armies  and  the  horrors  of  war,  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Appomattox  Court-House.  The 
last  battle  of  the  Rebellion  had  just  been  lost  upon  his  farm. 
Now  his  house  was  suddenly  entered  by  a  company  of  offi 
cers  without  so  much  as  saying,  "  By  your  leave." 

Lee  was  in  the  parlor  with  his  aide-de-camp,  Colonel 
Marshall,  when  Grant  entered  with  Sheridan,  Ord,  Williams, 
Rawlins,  and  Ingalls.  After  a  few  words  of  greeting,  all  the 
officers  withdrew,  leaving  Grant  and  Lee  alone  together  with 
their  aides-de-camp.  Lee  was  dressed  in  his  best  from  top 
to  toe,  wearing  a  fine  sword,  which  had  been  the  gift  of 
the  State  of  Virginia.  Grant  looked  rather  the  worse  for 
the  long  and  dusty  ride  which  he  had  taken,  wearing  neither 
sword  nor  epaulets,  his  rank  being  indicated  only  by  the 
three  stars  on  his  shoulder.  The  bearing  of  the  two  men 
was  very  simple,  and  one  could  not  have  guessed  which  it 
was  who  was  going  to  surrender.  After  a  little  conversation, 
Lee  very  readily  agreed  to  the  terms  of  surrender,  which 
Grant  wrote  out.  They  were  surely  not  hard  terms.  The 
Confederates  were  to  become  prisoners-of-war  upon  parole  ; 
giving  up  all  ammunition,  weapons,  and  supplies.  They 
were  allowed  to  keep  their  side-arms  and  baggage,  and  to 
return  to  their  homes,  where  they  were  to  remain  until  they 
were  released  or  exchanged.  Lee  was  thus  saved  from  the 
humiliation  of  giving  up  his  sword.  After  all  was  done,  and 
Lee  had  signed  the  agreement,  he  said  that  he  had  forgotten 
to  ask  that  the  men  in  the  cavalry  and  artillery  might  keep 
their  horses,  but  he  supposed  it  was  too  late  now.  Grant 
replied,  that  his  officers  should  be  instructed  to  allow  this 
also,  saying,  "  They  will  need  them  to  do  their  spring  plough 
ing."  Lee  was  touched  by  Grant's  generosity,  and  said  ear 
nestly,  "  General,  there  is  nothing  that  could  have  been  done 
to  accomplish  more  good,  either  for  them  or  the  Govern- 


526      Young  Folks'1  History  of  the  Civil  War.    [1865. 

ment."  The  two  great  commanders  again  shook  hands ;  and, 
as  Lee  passed  out,  the  National  officers  saluted  him.  As  he 
waited  for  his  horse,  that  was  browsing  in  the  yard,  he  looked 
toward  the  valley  where  the  two  armies  lay,  and  struck  his 
hands  together  more  than  once,  as  if  overcome  by  his  feel 
ings.  Grant  must  have  been  immensely  pleased  at  Lee's 
surrender,  but  he  looked  as  stolid  as  a  statue.  Mounting 
his  horse,  he  also  rode  away.  Scarcely  was  their  chief  gone, 
when  the  Union  officers  left  behind  began  to  look  about 
for  mementos  of  the  surrender.  Sheridan  bought,  for 
twenty  dollars  in  gold,  the  plain  little  table  upon  which  the 
agreement  was  signed,  and  sent  it  with  his  compliments  to 
Mrs.  Custer.  Ord  bought  the  marble-top  table.  Other  fur 
niture  shared  the  same  fortune.  Tables  and  chairs  were  pur 
chased  and  taken  away,  until  the  room  was  stripped.  Then 
the  yard  was  invaded ;  and  flowers,  buds,  and  even  leaves, 
were  plucked  in  remembrance  of  the  Qth  of  April,  1865, 
when  the  Rebellion  died.  Poor  McLean  must  have  felt 
that  after  all  it  would  have  been  better  for  him  to  have 
staid  at  Manassas. 

At  Lee's  request,  Grant  had  gladly  furnished  him  with 
twenty-five  thousand  rations  for  his  hungry  men,  even  before 
they  had  given  up  their  arms.  As  Lee  rode  through  his 
own  lines,  the  men  crowded  around  him,  and  tried  to  touch 
his  hand.  With  tears  streaming  down  his  face,  he  said  in  a 
trembling  voice,  "  Men,  we  have  fought  through  the  war 
together.  I  have  done  the  best  that  I  could  for  you."  The 
next  day  he  made  a  farewell  address  to  his  troops,  and 
rode  away  to  Richmond  a  paroled  prisoner.  On  the  i2th 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  formed  for  its  last  parade. 
Then,  marching  to  Appomattox  Court-House,  in  silence  the 
men  stacked  arms,  and  laid  down  their  colors,  when  —  still 
wearing  the  rebel  gray,  but  without  the  marks  of  rank  —  they 
disbanded  to  return  to  their  homes.  Grant  never  entered 


" 


w 


'- 

L  V\b^%^1\V%  |    \V 


LEE'S    FAREWELL   TO    HIS    ARMY. 


1865. j  At  Close  Quarters.  529 

the  rebel  lines,  but  hastened  to  Washington,  leaving  Meade 
in  charge  of  the  surrender.  Neither  gun  nor  martial  music 
proclaimed  the  Union  victory.  There  was  a  general  hand 
shaking  among  the  officers  of  the  opposing  armies  after 
wards,  and  the  men  of  the  armies  of  the  Potomac  and  the 
James  shared  their  blankets  and  their  rations  with  their  late 
enemies.  The  Union  army  remained  at  Petersburg  and 
Richmond,  let  us  hope  never  again  to  carry  arms.  From 
one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other,  the  news  flew  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  —  "  Richmond  has  fallen  ;  Lee  has  sur 
rendered  !  "  What  the  rejoicing  was,  let  your  own  hearts 
tell  you  when  you  remember  the  suffering  and  bloodshed 
of  the  preceding  four  years. 

Jeff.  Davis  and  his  cabinet  left  Richmond  that  evening  by 
a  special  train  for  Danville. 


53O      Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

THE    END. 

IF  the  people  and  the  soldiers  were  glad  to  know  that 
peace  had  come  once  more,  how  thankful  must  Mr. 
Lincoln  have  been  !  He  had  aged  perceptibly  in  the  past 
four  years.  The  weight  of  his  responsibility  and  his  con 
stant  sympathy  with  the  sufferings  of  the  people  had  sad 
dened  him.  By  his  kindly  interest  he  had  endeared  himself 
to  every  officer  and  soldier  in  the  army.  He  had  already 
been  at  City  Point  for  several  days,  when  the  end  came. 
On  Monday  he  and  Admiral  Porter  went  up  to  Richmond 
together.  He  was  very  grave,  although  very  glad ;  for  he 
thought  of  the  years  of  sorrow  that  had  had  to  be  endured 
for  this  great  day.  General  Weitzel  escorted  Mr.  Lincoln 
about  the  city  in  an  open  carriage,  coming  at  last  to  the 
Confederate  Capitol.  They  walked  through  its  rooms  until 
they  reached  the  cabinet-chamber.  Pointing  to  a  seat,  Gen 
eral  Weitzel  said,  "  Mr.  President,  this  is  the  chair  occu 
pied  by  President  Davis."  Another  might  have  rejoiced  in 
an  enemy's  downfall ;  but  Mr.  Lincoln  stepped  wearily  to 
the  vacant  seat,  and  without  a  word  sat  down,  letting  his 
head  fall  into  his  open  hands.  For  a  moment  not  a  sound 
broke  the  silence,  and  all  present  felt  that  the  great  states 
man  and  beloved  ruler  was  reviewing  the  events  of  the  past 
sad  year.  He  drew  a  deep  sigh  at  last,  and  no  one  wit 
nessed  the  scene  with  dry  eyes. 

The  President  returned  to  Washington  on  the  Qth.     Two 


LINCOLN    ADDRESSING   THE    PEOPLE. 


1865.]  The  End.  533 

days  later,  in  honor  of  the  recent  National  victories,  the  White 
House  was  illuminated,  and  a  throng  gathered  in  the  grounds, 
cheering  and  calling  loudly  for  Mr.  Lincoln.  "As  Mr.  Lin 
coln  and  a  few  friends  mounted  the  stairs  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  house,  there  was  a  tremendous  din  outside,  as  if  roars 
of  laughter  were  mingling  with  the  music  and  the  cheers. 
Inside  of  the  house,  at  one  of  the  windows  on  the  right  of 
the  staircase,  was  old  Edward,  the  conservative  and  dignified 
butler  of  the  White  House,  struggling  with  Tad,  and  trying 
to  drag  him  back  from  the  window,  from  which  he  was  wav 
ing  a  Confederate  flag,  captured  in  some  fight,  and  given  to 
the  boy.  The  crowd  recognized  Tad,  who  frantically  waved 
the  flag  as  -he  fought  with  Edward,  while  the  people  roared 
with  delight.  'The  likes  of  it,  Mister  Tad,'  said  the  scandal 
ized  butler,  —  'the  likes  of  a  rebel  flag  out  of  the  windows  of 
the  White  House  !  Oh,  did  I  ever  ! '  Edward  conquered  ; 
and,  followed  by  a  parting  cheer  from  the  throng  below,  Tad 
rushed  to  his  father  with  his  complaints.  But  the  President, 
just  then  approaching  the  centre  window  overlooking  the 
portico,  stood  with  a  beaming  face  before  the  vast  assembly 
beneath  ;  and  the  mighty  cheer  that  arose  drowned  all  other 
sounds."  The  President  then  began  his  address. 

This  was  Mr.  Lincoln's  last  speech  to  a  devoted  people. 
On  the  1 4th  the  Washington  newspapers  announced  that 
General  Grant  would  accompany  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  party 
to  Ford's  Theatre  that  evening.  Although  the  President  had 
invited  him,  General  Grant  excused  himself  in  order  to  pay 
a  visit  to  his  children,  whom  he  was  in  haste  to  see.  So  with 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  another  lady,  and  Major  Rathbone,  the  Presi 
dent  occupied  a  box  in  the  theatre,  which  was  draped  and 
decorated  with  the  prettiest  banner  in  the  world.  When 
the  interest  in  the  play  was  at  its  height,  and  every  eye  was 
fixed  upon  the  stage,  a  man  stole  into  the  box  and  shot 
the  President  in  the  head.  The  assassin  was  John  Wilkes 


534     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 

Booth,  an  actor,  and  son  of  the  English  actor,  Junius  Brutus 
Booth.  In  the  confusion  which  followed,  Booth  jumped 
from  the  box  to  the  stage,  shouting,  "Sic  semper  tyrannis  !" 
("So  be  it  always  with  tyrants  !  ")  But,  one  of  his  spurs 
becoming  entangled  with  a  flag,  he  fell,  breaking  his  leg. 
He  recovered  himself,  however,  and  cried  loudly,  "  The 
South  is  avenged  ! "  as,  brandishing  his  dagger,  he  made 
his  escape.  Although  he  did  not  die  until  the  next  morn 
ing,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  never  conscious  after  the  ball  entered 
his  brain.  They  took  him  to  a  house  opposite  the  theatre, 
where  his  cabinet,  and  many  persons  high  in  the  State,  kept 
watch  by  his  bed.  Six  hours  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  the 
oath  of  the  presidential  office  was  privately  administered  to 
the  Vice-President,  Andrew  Johnson,  by  Chief  Justice  Chase. 
Booth's  part  in  the  tragedy  had  not  been  due  to  the  mere 
fancy  of  a  madman.  It  was  but  one  thread  in  the  web  that 
a  band  of  wicked  men  had  woven  to  catch  the  chief  officers 
of  the  government.  General  Grant  was  to  have  shared  the 
fate  of  the  President,  but  his  timely  journey  saved  his  life. 
One  who  was  concerned  in  the  plot  succeeded  in  getting 
into  Secretary  Seward's  bed-chamber,  where  he  was  lying  ill, 
and  stabbed  the  secretary  three  times  with  an  ugly  knife. 
Mr.  Seward  was  seriously  injured,  but  the  would-be  murderer 
got  away.  To  each  one  of  the  gang  of  desperate  men,  had 
been  allotted  a  victim  to  despatch ;  but  only  Booth  accom 
plished  his  purpose.  It  is  little  wonder  that  this  crime,  fol 
lowing  so  closely  upon  the  heels  of  the  late  Confederate 
defeat,  and  taken  in  connection  with  Booth's  exclamation, 
"The  South  is  avenged  !  "  should  have  been  charged  upon 
the  Confederacy.  The  new  President  even  offered  a  reward 
of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  arrest  of  President 
Davis,  believing  him  to  have  suggested  the  plot.  Afterwards, 
when  the  public  mind  grew  calmer,  that  idea  was  abandoned. 
Booth  was  hunted  like  a  wild  animal.  With  one  other  of  the 


1865.]  The  End.  537 

conspirators,  a  youth  named  Harold,  he  was  captured  in 
Virginia.  Booth  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  struggle.  His 
companion  and  two  others  were  speedily  hanged. 

The  body  of  the  martyr  President  was  prepared  for  burial, 
and  lay  in  state  in  Washington  until  the  funeral,  where  it 
was  visited  by  throngs  of  weeping  people.  It  was  after 
ward  carried  to  his  home  in  Springfield,  111.  Countless 
thousands  looked  at  that  beloved  face  when  the  procession 
stopped  at  all  the  large  towns  or  cities  on  the  way.  After 
nearly  twenty  years  his  memory  is  as  fresh  in  the  hearts  of 
a  grateful  people  as  when  he  paid  for  their  liberty  with  his 
life.  How  inglorious,  on  the  other  hand,  was  the  career  of 
the  President  of  the  boasted  Confederacy !  Mr.  Davis 
waited  anxiously  at  Danville  for  Lee,  who  never  came. 
Having  escaped  Grant,  he  hastened  to  join  Johnston  at 
Greensborough,  in  the  interior  of  North  Carolina.  On  the 
very  day  of  Lincoln's  assassination,  Davis  was  living  in  a 
box-car  on  the  railroad,  because  nobody  offered  him  hos 
pitality.  The  armies  of  Lee  and  Johnston  were  not  more 
than  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  apart  at  this  time  ;  but  Sher 
man  and  Grant  were  between,  and  a  junction  was  impossi 
ble.  Immediately  upon  the  surrender  of  Lee,  Sherman 
hastened  to  execute  Grant's  orders  to  "  push  on  and  finish 
the  job."  As  Sherman  advanced,  Johnston  retreated,  until 
on  the  1 3th  of  April  the  Union  army  entered  Raleigh,  the 
capital  of  North  Carolina.  The  next  day  a  message  arrived 
from  Johnston,  asking  if  Sherman  would  suspend  operations, 
that  some  terms  of  peace  could  be  arranged.  Sherman  had 
in  the  mean  time  heard  of  Grant's  success  in  Virginia,  and 
he  answered  Johnston  that  he  could  surrender  on  the  same 
terms  as  Lee.  An  appointment  was  then  made  for  a  meet 
ing  between  the  two  generals. 

Sherman  in  the  mean  time  received  the  news  of  the  death 
of  the  President  and  the  attacks  upon  the  lives  of  members 


538     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.     [1865. 

of  the  Cabinet.  When  he  arrived  at  the  meeting-place, 
the  generals  shook  hands,  and  passed  into  a  small  farm 
house  not  far  away.  When  they  were  left  alone,  Sherman 
showed  Johnston  the  telegram  that  he  received  at  starting. 
The  rebel  general  was  greatly  agitated.  "  The  perspiration 
came  out  in  large  drops  on  his  forehead,  and  he  did  not 
attempt  to  conceal  his  distress.  "And,"  adds  Sherman, 
"  he  denounced  the  act  as  a  disgrace  to  the  age,  and  hoped 
that  I  did  not  charge  it  to  the  Confederate  Government." 
After  much  talk,  Johnston  admitted  that  to  carry  on  the 
war  further  would  be  "  murder,"  and  wished  to  make  terms 
for  all  the  rebel  armies  as  well  as  his  own.  They  parted, 
to  meet  again  the  next  day  at  noon.  Johnston  hastened  to 
Jeff.  Davis  for  advice  and  instruction.  Sherman  returned 
to  his  headquarters,  and  told  his  army  of  the  assassination 
of  the  President.  On  the  i8th  Sherman  and  Johnston 
again  met,  unfortunately,  for  much  trouble  came  out  of 
Sherman's  efforts  to  settle  terms  of  peace.  Johnston  brought 
General  John  C.  Breckinridge  with  him.  Of  course  they 
wished  to  get  all  they  could  for  the  rebel  armies,  and  Sher 
man  agreed  to  send  on  to  Washington  for  definite  orders. 
At  the  same  time  he  offered  to  make  very  liberal  terms,  a 
statement  of  which  he  forwarded  to  the  President  for  ap 
proval.  What  a  breeze  that  bit  of  paper  stirred  !  Since  the 
death  of  Lincoln  was  laid  at  the  rebel  door,  no  terms  would 
seem  to  suit  the  Union  Government  or  people.  Notwith 
standing  that  the  Confederacy  had  fallen,  Johnston  asked  for 
more  than  Lee  had.  Sherman  was  blamed  officially  and  by 
the  public  press.  Stanton  telegraphed  to  him  a  savage  mes 
sage,  and  followed  it  up  by  sending  Grant  to  look  after  him. 
Halleck  once  more  entered  upon  the  scene,  and  ordered 
Meade  and  Sheridan  and  Wright  to  North  Carolina.  Grant 
declared  that  this  treatment  of  a  man  who  had  done  such 
service  as  Sherman  was  "  infamous."  But  after  all,  on  the 


1865.]  The  End.  539 

26th,  Johnston  surrendered  upon  Lee's  terms.  A  month 
later  Kirby  E.  Smith  surrendered  to  Canby,  and  all  was 
over. 

But  poor  Jeff.  Davis  began  to  feel  like  the  Wandering 
Jew.  A  price  was  put  upon  his  head.  He  dared  rest  no 
where,  for  fear  of  meeting  the  fate  of  traitors.  Afraid  to 
risk  an  interview  with  Sherman,  and  not  daring  to  wait 
for  Johnston's  surrender,  he  fled  to  Charlotte.  When  he 
learned  that  Johnston  had  made  terms  with  Sherman,  he 
made  his  way  west,  hoping  to  join  Kirby  Smith  in  Missis 
sippi.  The  grand  body  of  cavalry  that  started  with  Davis 
and  his  cabinet  had  daily  grown  smaller,  until  but  a  few 
friends  remained.  The  Confederate  chief  rode  beside  the 
carriage  which  contained  his  wife  and  family.  But  General 
James  H.  Wilson,  the  only  man  who  ever  defeated  Forrest, 
was  looking  for  Mr.  Davis.  Colonel  Hardin,  of  Wilson's 
command,  found  and  arrested  him  near  Macon,  on  the  nth 
of  May.  The  fallen  president  was  disguised  as  a  woman,  wear 
ing  a  "  waterproof  cloak  gathered  at  the  waist,  with  a  shawl 
over  his  head,  and  carrying  a  tin  pail."  Mrs.  Davis  excused 
her  husband's  dress  by  saying  that  he  wore  a  "  Raglan " 
cloak,  and  that  she  '  threw  a  shawl  over  his  head.  Davis 
had  in  his  possession  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  gold, 
belonging  to  the  Confederate  Government.  He  was  taken 
to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  there  confined  as  a  prisoner-of- 
state  for  two  years.  He  was  never  tried,  and  was  released 
in  December,  1868.  Vice-President  Alexander  H.  Stephens 
was  also  captured,  and  confined  at  Fort  W^arren  in  Boston 
harbor,  but,  like  Davis,  was  given  up  without  trial.  The 
gold  which  Davis  had  in  his  possession  still  remains  un 
touched  in  the  National  treasury  at  Washington. 

Now  began  the  work  of  breaking  up  the  Union  armies, 
gathered  and  drilled  and  disciplined  at  such  cost.  The 
whole  number  of  men  called  into  service  during  the  war 


540      Young  Folks'  History  of  tJic  Civil   War.    ii865. 

had  been  more  than  two  and  one  half  millions.  It  is  esti 
mated  that  at  least  three  hundred  thousand  soldiers  were 
lost  on  either  side,  and  that  in  both  armies  those  perma 
nently  crippled  were  over  four  hundred  thousand.  Before 
the  day  came  for  disbanding,  there  was  a  grand  military 
review  in  Washington,  such  a  review  as  America  had  never 
before  dreamed  of.  It  took  two  whole  days  for  the  armies 
of  Meade  and  Sherman  to  pass  before  the  President  and 
his  party,  who  sat  in  a  pavilion  prepared  for  them.  There 
was  patriotism  in  the  air.  Flowers  breathed  it,  bands 
played  it,  and  flags,  torn  and  blood-stained,  gave  it  to  the 
breeze.  The  wildest  enthusiasm  prevailed.  And  this  was 
the  last  meeting  of  the  veterans  who  had  well  earned  their 
honors.  Then  came  farewells  and  hand- shakings.  The 
boys  in  blue  went  home  to  the  loving  embrace  of  proud 
and  happy  friends  —  heroes  forever. 

But  what  of  the  six  hundred  thousand,  wearing  the  blue 
and  the  gray,  who  never  went  back  to  their  homes  !  To 
day,  on  all  the  great  battle-fields,  are  national  cemeteries 
where  the  dead  are  garnered.  No  city  or  town  is  so  poor 
or  unpatriotic  as  to  be  without  its  "  soldiers'  plot,"  often 
marked  by  a  costly  monument.  From  New  Orleans  to 
Maine,  a  day  is  set  apart  for  decorating  soldiers'  graves. 
The  30th  of  May  is  chosen  at  the  North  as  Memorial  Day ; 
while  a  day  in  the  month  of  April  is  kept  as  a  sad  holiday 
at  the  South. 

At  the  unveiling  of  the  Soldiers'  Monument  in  New 
Orleans,  the  most  beautiful  tribute  of  flowers  sent  was  from 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  The  women  of  Colum 
bus,  Miss.,  strew  flowers  on  the  graves  of  both  Federal 
and  Confederate  soldiers.  Time  will  efface  the  scars,  as  it 
has  already  healed  the  wounds,  made  by  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion. 


THE    LINCOLN    MONUMENT. 


1865.]  The  End.  543 

"  By  the  flow  of  the  inland  river, 

Whence  the  fleets  of  iron  have  fled, 
Where  the  blades  of  the  grave-grass  quiver, 
Asleep  on  the  ranks  of  the  dead,  — 
Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 

Waiting  the  judgment-day ; 
Under  the  one,  the  Blue  ; 
Under  the  other,  the  Gray. 

These  in  the  robings  of  glory, 

Those  in  the  gloom  of  defeat, 
All  with  the  battle-blood  gory 
In  the  dusk  of  eternity  meet,  — 
Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 

Waiting  the  judgment-day; 
Under  the  laurel,  the  Blue ; 
Under  the  willow,  the  Gray. 

From  the  silence  of  sorrowful  hours 

The  desolate  mourners  go, 
Lovingly  laden  with  flowers, 
Alike  for  the  friend  and  the  foe, — 
Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 

Waiting  the  judgment-day; 
Under  the  roses,  the  151  ue  ; 
Under  the  lilies,  the  Gray. 

So  with  an  equal  splendor 

The  morning  sun-rays  fall, 
With  a  touch  impartially  tender, 
On  the  blossoms  blooming  for  all, — 
Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 

Waiting  the  judgment-day; 
Broidered  with  gold,  the  Blue; 
Mellowed  with  gold,  the  Gray. 

So  when  the  summer  calleth, 

On  forest  and  field  of  grain, 
With  an  equal  murmur  falleth 

The  cooling  drip  of  the  rain, — 


544     Young  Folks'  History  of  the  Civil   War.    [1865. 

Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 

Waiting  the  judgment-day; 
Wet  with  the  rain,  the  Blue  ; 

Wet  with  the  rain,  the  Gray. 

Sadly,  but  not  with  upbraiding, 
The  generous  deed  was  done  : 
In  the  storm  of  the  years  that  are  fading, 
No  braver  battle  was  won,  — 
Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 

Waiting  the  judgment-day; 
Under  the  blossoms,  the  Blue  ; 
Under  the  garlands,  the  Gray. 

No  more  shall  the  war-cry  sever, 
Or  the  winding  rivers  be  red : 
They  banish  our  anger  forever 

When  they  laurel  the  graves  of  our  dead,  — 
Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 

Waiting  the  judgment-day ; 
Love  and  tears  for  the  Blue, 
Tears  and  love  for  the  Gray." 


W£^>$ 

*>«    .    'VO-^- 


•-••MwmJl 


INDEX. 


A. 


African  slave-trade,  2. 
Alabama,  the,  475. 
Albatross,  the,  385. 
Albemarle,  the,  destroyed,  489. 
Alexandria,  La.,  burned,  420. 
Alexandria,  Va.,  67. 
Alger,  Major  Russell,  322. 
Amelia  Court-House,  521. 
Anderson,  Confederate  general,  485. 
Anderson,  Robert,  at  Moultrie,  26. 
at  Sumter,  27-40,  510. 
in  Kentucky,  125,  129. 
Andersonville  prison,  496. 
Anecdotes : 

A  brave  telegraph-operator,  259. 

A  company's  rations,  301. 

A  dress  trimmed  with  buttons,  136. 

A  novel  petticoat,  136. 

A  true  patriot,  199. 

A  victor  who  did  not  exult,  530. 

Beauregard's  boast  fulfilled,  204. 

Birds  on  a  battle-field,  334. 

Boy  saves  Gosport  dry-dock,  56. 

Brownell,  68. 

Butterfield's  happy  thought,  265. 

"Caliber  54,"  376. 

Capture  of  the  Albemarle,  486 

Children  at  Cumberland  Gap,  412. 

Color-sergeant  at  Missionary  Ridge, 
409. 

Commander  Cummings's  reply,  386. 

Commodore  Foote's  sermon,  177. 

Confederate  soldier  after  battle,  379. 

Contraband's   lesson   too   hard   for 
him,  72. 

Craven  at  Mobile  Bay,  481. 

Cushing's    exploit    in    Cape    Fear 
River,  486. 

Death  of  Lyon,  242. 


Anecdotes,  continued. 

Death  of  William  Scott,  242. 

Death  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  434. 

"  Don't  shoot,  boys  !  "  276. 

Drummer-boy  at  Antietam,  298. 

Dying  drummer-boy,  261. 

Farragut's  orders  at  Mobile,  482. 

Foraging  for  supper,  371. 

Forrest's  adventure  in  Memphis, 
417. 

GarfielcTs  ride,  402. 

George  Hunt,  and  the  hot  shell,  335. 

Georgian  troops  and  the  Union 
gunner,  357. 

"  Good-by,  Sammy,"  297. 

Grant  as  a  cadet,  424. 

Grant's  characteristic  telegram,  521. 

Grant  rides  "  Old  Jack,"  497. 

Grant's  sword  broken  by  a  ball,  211. 

Grierson's  raid,  371. 

Hadn't  any  home,  337. 

Hancock  and  Stewart,  434. 

Hancock's  famous  order,  244. 

Hill's  dying  words,  434. 

Howard  looks  out  for'"  Yanks,"  407. 

Howard's  foragers  capture  a  rail 
way,  505. 

How  Floyd  escaped  capture,  180. 

How  Stonewall  Jackson  got  his 
name,  78. 

Jenkins  paid  in  his  own  coin,  352. 

Jennie  Wade,  362. 

"  Joe  is  dead,"  234. 

John  Burns,  354. 

Johnny  Clem,  403. 

Kearney's  examp'le  of  bravery,  244 

Kentucky  boy  in  Pea  Ridge  hospi 
tal,  410. 

Kindness    of    Confederate   soldier. 

383- 
Lamb  on  battle-field,  212. 

545 


546 


Index. 


Anecdotes,  continued. 

Lee  and  Hill  at  Petersburg,  519. 
Lee  goes  North  for  rations,  350. 
Lee's  farewell  to  his  troops,  526. 
Lieutenant  Estes  and  the  rebels, 

35°- 
Lincoln  introduced  to  soldiers,  268. 

pardons  deserters,  267. 

and  the  man  down  South,  470. 

and  the  birds,  266. 
Lincoln's  dinner  of  hard-tack,  442. 

whiskers,  267. 

Lyon's  visit  to  Camp  Jackson,  79. 
"  Mamma,  is  God  a  Union  man  ?  " 

336. 

Major  Peyton  and  his  son,  265. 
Marching  over  torpedoes,  469. 
Miles's  conduct  at  Harper's  Ferry, 

293- 

Mitchell  and  rebel  orderly,  510. 
Mulligan's  ammunition,  119. 
Negro    who     admired     Sherman's 

"  hoss,"  509. 
"  No  sanitary  folks  allowed  inside," 

441. 
Officer  of  Sixth  Wisconsin  wounded 

at  Gettysburg,  354. 
Old  woman's  strange  pet,  407. 
Orderly-Sergeant  Goodfellow,  75. 
Pemberton's  messenger,  381. 
Peter  Hart  fights  fire,  41. 
Pickets  at  Ezra  Church,  459. 
Porter's  balloon-ride,  238. 
Promoted  by  Lincoln,  423. 
Reuben  Davis's  shield,  184. 
Robert  Hendershott,  305. 
Rosecrans'  vigilance,  381. 
Scott's  answer  to  treason,  71. 

wrath,  70. 

Scrimmage  predicted,  432. 
Shall  he  go  below  ?  385. 
Sheridan's  charge   at   Five   Forks, 
518. 

famous  telegram,  447. 

ride,  448. 

way  of  getting  information,  444. 
Sherman,  William  T.,  asleep  by  the 
roadside,  454. 

and  the  bummer,  466. 

narrowly  escapes  capture,  415. 

threatens  to  shoot,  143. 
Sherman's  thorough  work  at  Meridi 
an,  415. 

Sign  of  a  battle,  346. 
Soldier's  coolness  in  a  storm,  453. 

song  on  the  battle-field,  431. 
Stuck  in  the  mud,  307. 


Anecdotes,  concluded. 

Surrender  of  Vicksburg,  382. 

Tad  Lincoln  at  Fredericksburg,  343. 
in  the  \Vhite  House,  533. 

Telegram  misspelled,  307. 

Telegraphing  from  the  seat  of  war, 
208. 

The  Marion  passing  Sumter,  32. 

Then  they  set  fire  to  the  well,  466. 

They  "  couldn't  stop  to  bother  with 
us,"  183. 

Three  friends  study  geography,  170. 

Too  sure  tor  safety,  278. 

Vegetable  wagon  captured,  137. 

War-eagle's  history,  193. 

"  We  can  buy  our  gloves  together," 
261. 

"  What  is  your  badge  ?  "  407. 

Who  is  a  coward  ?  208. 

William  Scott's  pardon,  140. 

Woman   who    carried   warning    to 
Somerset,  399. 

Wounded  boy  in  hospital,  518. 

Wounded  confederate  and  General 
Howard,  258. 

Writer  of  a  famous  song,  509. 

Xenophon's  answer,  428. 

Yankee  who  could  fix  an  engine,  58. 
Annapolis,  56,  58. 
Antislavery  society,  6. 
Appomattox  Court-House,  522,  525. 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  213,  396, 

4°3>  451- 

of  the  Mississippi,  321,  369,  383. 

of  Northern  Virginia,  600. 

of  the  Ohio,  330,  401,  451. 

of  the  Potomac,  228,  245,  437. 

of  the  Tennessee,  451,  903. 

Sherman's,  462-474,  505-513. 
Arkansas  Post,  370. 
Ashby  Turner  killed,  253. 
Atlanta,  burning  of,  465. 

siege  of,  459. 

taken,  465. 

the  iron-clad,  392. 
Averill  at  Winchester,  442. 
Ayer's  troops,  at  Five  Forks,  518. 

B. 

Bailey,  Joseph,  425. 
Baker,  Edward  D.,  death  of,  148. 
Ball's  Bluff,  battle  of,  147. 
Baltimore,  occupied  by  Butler,  71. 

Union  troops  mobbed  at,  53. 
Banks,  N.  P.,  attacks   Fort   Hudson, 
384- 


Index. 


547 


Banks,  N.  P.,  at  Cedar  Creek,  272. 

at  New  Orleans,  384. 

at  Washington,  289. 

at  Winchester,  253. 

succeeded  by  Canby,  480. 
Barlow,  General,  at  Gettysburg,  362. 
Barren,  S.,  161. 

Baton  Rouge,  La.,  captured,  317. 
Battle  above  the  clouds,  408. 
Baylor,  General,  killed,  278. 
Beauregard,  P.  G.  T.,  at  Bull  Run,  204. 

at  Charleston,  394. 

at  Corinth,  200. 

at  Petersburg,  438. 

at  Shiloh,  204. 

Bee,  B.  E.,  General,  at  Bull  Run,  98. 
Belle  Isle,  495. 
Belmont,  battle  of,  130. 
Benton,  the,  370. 
Bentonville,  battle  of,  510. 
Berry,  General    Hiram   G.,  killed   at 

Chancellorsville,  347. 
Big  Bethel,  battle  of,  75. 
Big  Tybee  Island,  168. 
Bill  of  fare  at  Vicksburg,  380. 
Blair,  Frank  P.,  79,  455. 
Blockading,  62,  392,  476,  779,  486. 
Blue  and  Gray,  543. 
Body-guard,  Fremont's,  114. 
Bomb-Shell,  the,  486. 
Booneville,  Miss.,  battle  of,  322. 
Boonville,  Mo.,  battle  of,  83. 
Booth,   J.   Wilkes,   assassinates    Mr. 

Lincoln,  543. 

Booth,  Major,  at  Fort  Pillow,  416. 
Bradford,  Major,  at  Fort  Pillow,  416. 
Bragg,  Braxton,  at  Chattanooga,  396, 
410. 

at  Chickamauga,  401. 

at  Murfreesboro',  330. 

at  Tupelo,  321. 

Breckinridge,  John  C.,  at  Cold  Har 
bor,  436. 

at  Murfreesboro',  331. 
Bridge  of  sighs,  495. 
Brown,  John,  9-17. 
Brown,  Colonel  Harvey,  161. 
Brownell,  70. 
Brownlow,  Parson,  134. 
Brooklyn,  the,  480. 
Buchanan,  James,  22. 
Buchanan,  Franklin,  in  the  Tennessee, 

485. 
Buckner,  Simon  B.,at  Fort  Uonelson, 

179. 

Buckner,    Simon    B.,    sent    to    Fort 
Warren,  181. 


Buell,  Don  Carlos,  at  Corinth,  200. 

at  Shiloh,  207. 

relieved,  328. 

in  Tennessee,  324. 
Bull  Run,  battle  of^  95,  97. 
Burns,  John,  at  Gettysburg,  354. 
Burnside,  Ambrose  E.,  at  Antietam, 
297. 

at  Fredericksburg,  306. 

at  Knoxville,  411. 

at  Petersburg  mine,  439. 

at  South  Mountain,  294. 

at  Wilderness,  344. 

commands  Army  of  the  Potomac, 

SOS- 
Butler,  Benjamin  F.,  at  Annapolis,  57. 
at  Baltimore,  69. 
at  Fort  Fisher,  503. 
at  Hatteras  Inlet,  "161. 
at  Fortress  Monroe,  92. 
at  New  Orleans,  220. 
at  Petersburg,  428. 
digs  Dutch  Gap  Canal,  441. 

C. 

Cabell,  General,  captured,  421. 
Calhoun,  John  C.,  5. 
Cameron,  Simon,  226. 
Camp  Butler,  71. 

Chase,  498. 

Dick  Robinson,  124. 

Douglas,  498. 

Hamilton,  71. 

Jackson,  79. 

Joe  Holt,  124. 
Canal,  Dutch  Gap,  441. 

at  Island  Number  Ten,  190. 

at  Vicksburg,  37,  370. 
Canby,  E.  R.  S.,  134,  480,  514. 
Cape  Fear  River,  486. 
Carnifex  Ferry,  battle  of,  151. 
Carondelet,  the,  178. 
Carrick's  Ford,  battle  of,  88. 
Carter,  General,  killed,  399. 
Casey,  General,  258. 
Cass,  Lewis,  26. 
Catskill,  the,  391. 
Cedar  Creek,  battle  of,  447. 
Chalmers,  General,  at  Fort  Pillow,  41 7. 
Chambersburg,  Penn.,  443. 
Champion  Hills,  battle  of,  374. 
Chancellorsville,  battle  of,  345. 
Chantilly,  battle  of,  281. 
Charleston,  S.C.,  21. 

burning  of,  509. 

naval  attack  on,  391. 


548 


Index. 


Chase,  Salmon  P.,  490. 
Chattanooga,  beleaguered,  403. 
Chickahominy,  battle  of,  358. 

Grant's  campaign,  436. 

McClellan's  campaign,  358. 
Chickamauga,  battle  of,  402. 
Christian  Commission,  106. 

at  Gettysburg,  361. 

work  of,  497. 
Clem,  Johnny,  403. 
Cobb,  Howell,  25. 
Cold  Harbor,  battle  of,  436. 

Sheridan  captures,  436. 
Columbia,  burning  of,  506. 
Columbia,  Miss.,  women  of,  540. 
Columbus,  Ga.,  captured,  515. 
Collins,  Napoleon,  479. 
Comfort,  Old  Point,  72. 
Confederacy,  army  of  the,  cut  in  two, 

C    5I9'          r 

finances  of,  50. 

in  1865,  539 

uniform  of,  66. 
Congress,  the,  233. 

Confederate,  101. 

Peace,  22. 

Conspirators  at  Camp  Douglas,  501. 
Constitution,  the,  57. 
Contraband,  72. 
Corinth,  battle  of,  320. 

Union  army  at,  318. 
Corse,  John  M.,  at  Allatoona,  461. 

at  Rome,  Ga.,  461. 
Cotton-Plant,  the,  486. 
Cox,  T.  D.,  151. 
Crawford,  Penn.,  reserves,  357. 
Craven,  Captain  T.  A.,  at  Mobile  Bay, 

481. 

Crittenden,  G.  B.,  172. 
Crook,  General  George,  437. 

at  Appomattox,  522. 

at  the  Opequan,  444. 
Cullom,  General,  170. 
Cumberland,  the,  233. 
Cummings,     Lieutenant-Commander, 

386. 
Curtis,  Samuel  R.,  117. 

at  Pea  Ridge,  198. 

resists  Price,  421. 
Gushing,   William    B.,   destroys    the 

Albemarle,  489. 
Custer,  at  Gettysburg,  361. 

at  Appomattox,  522. 

D. 

Dahlgren,  John  A  ,  393. 


Dahlgren,  Ulric,  428. 
Davis,  C.  H.,  314. 
Davis,  Jefferson,  22,  58. 

at  Murfreesboro',  331. 

captured,  539. 

flight  of,  537. 

leaves  for  Danville,  519. 

released,  539. 

reward  for,  534. 

Davis,   Jefferson   C.,  at    Bentonville, 
510. 

at  Pea  Ridge,  198. 

at  Rome,  Ga.,  454. 
DeCourcy,  General,  411. 
De  Peyster,  Johnston,  520. 
Devens,  Colonel,  147. 
Dix,  John  A.,  352. 
Donelson,  Fort,  battle  of,  180. 
Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  death  of,  76. 
Drayton,  Percival,  at  Mobile  Bay,  481. 

at  Port  Royal,  166. 
Drayton,  T.  F.,  at  Port  Royal,  166. 
Dug  Springs,  battle  of,  108. 
Duncan,  Captain,  469. 
Dupont,  S.  F.,  at  Charleston,  391. 

at  Hilton  Head,  166. 
Duryea,  Colonel,  71. 

E. 

Eads,  J.  D.,  314. 

Early,  Jubal,  at  Chambersburg,  441. 

at  the  Opequan,  444. 

at  Winchester,  448. 

attacks  Washington,  442. 

in  Shenandoah  Valley,  441. 
Eastman,  Chaplain,  361. 
Ellet,  A.  W.,  314. 
Ellet,  Charles,  jun.,  314. 
Ellsworth,  Elmer  E.,  66,  68. 
Emancipation,  Proclamation  of,  302. 
Emancipation    Proclamation    burned, 

497- 
Emory,  General,  at  New  Orleans,  387. 

at  the  Opequan,  444. 

at  Washington,  442. 
Ericsson,  John,  230. 
Ewell,  R.  S.,  attacks  Winchester,  351. 

captured,  521. 

in  the  Wilderness,  430. 

wounded,  276. 
Ezra  Church,  battle  of,  459. 

F. 

Fair  Oaks,  battle  of,  258. 

Farragut,  David  G.,  at  Mobile  Bay. 48 1 . 


Index. 


549 


Farragut,  David  G.,  at  New  Orleans, 
223. 

at  Port  Hudson,  385. 

refuses  to  be  "  saved,"  482. 
Fisher's  Hill,  battle  of,  447. 
Fitch,  Colonel,  at  Memphis,  502. 
Five  Forks,  battle  of,  518. 
Florida,  the,  479. 
Floyd,  John  B.,  25-28,  150. 

at  Donelson,  179. 

in  West  Virginia,  151. 
Folly  Island,  393. 
Foote,  Andrew  H.,  173,  177. 

at  Fort  Donelson,  179. 

at  Fort  Henry,  174. 

death  of,  393. 

succeeds  Dupont,  393. 
Ford,  Colonel,  cashiered,  293. 
Forrest,  N.  B.,  at  Guntown,  417. 

at  Murfreesboro',  324. 

at  Pillow,  416. 

at  Tupelo,  417. 

defeated  by  Wilson,  513. 

in  Tennessee,  416. 

joins  Hood,  462. 

raid  of,  around  Grant,  368. 
Foster,  John  G.,  at  Savannah,  505. 
Fort  Anderson  destroyed,  504. 

Caswell,  504. 

De  Russy  taken,  418. 

Donelson,  battle  of,  177. 

Fisher  taken,  503. 

Gaines,  battle  of,  485. 

Gregg,  battle  of,  519. 

Henry,  battle  of,  174. 

McAllister  captured,  388. 

Morgan,  battle  of,  485. 

Moultrie  abandoned,  26. 

Pickens,  46,  161. 

Pillow,  abandoned,  317. 
massacre  of,  416. 

Sumter,  26,  32,  40. 
bombarded,  394. 

Wagner  evacuated,  394. 
Franklin,  battle  of,  462. 
Franklin,  W.  B.,  257. 

assists  in  Red  River  expedition, 
418. 

at  Fredericksburg,  306. 

at  South  Mountain,  294. 

captured,  442. 
Frankfort,  Ky.,  taken,  324. 
Fredericksburg,  battle  of,  306. 
Freitchie,  Barbara,  286. 
Fremont,  John  C.,  113,  119-122. 

at  Cross  Keys,  253. 

refuses  to  serve  under  Pope,  269. 


French  princes,  140. 
Frost,  General,  78. 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  6,  9. 
Fuller,  Rev.  Arthur  B.,  305. 

G. 

Gaines's  Mill,  battle  of,  263. 
Gainesville,  263. 
Galena,  the,  480. 
Galveston,  387. 

Gardner,  Colonel  F.  K.,  at  Port  Hud 
son,  334. 

Garesche,  Colonel,  334. 
Garfield,  James  A.,  171. 

at  Chickamauga,  401. 
Garland,  General,  death  of,  295. 
Garnett,  R.  S.,  87. 
Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  6. 
Geary,  General,  407. 
Geneva  award,  480. 
Gettysburg,  battle  of,  357. 
Gile,  Captain  D.  H.,  458. 
Gillmore,  Q.  A.,  at  Charleston,  393. 

in  Florida,  422. 

Gilmor,  Harry,  in  Maryland,  442. 
Gleason,  Captain,  112. 
Glendale,  battle  of,  265. 
Goldsborough,  Louis  M.,  215. 
Goldsboro',  Sherman  at,  513. 
Gordon,  General,  522. 
Gosport  navy-yard,  55,  250. 
Granger,  Gordon,  at  Mobile,  402. 
Grant,  Colonel  Fred,  373. 
Grant,  Ulysses  S.,  in,  126. 

and  Sheridan,  443. 

at  Belmont,  130. 

at  Chattanooga,  403. 

at  Corinth,  330. 

at  Donelson,  178. 

at  Henry,  174. 

at  Petersburg,  516. 

at  Spottsylvania,  434. 

captures  Jackson,  Miss.,  373. 

conduct  of, at  Lee's  surrender,  529. 

letter  from,  to  Lee,  521. 

lieutenant-general,  427. 

major-general,  387. 

on  the  Chickahominy,  436. 

plans  for  campaign,  429. 

receives  gold  medal,  410. 

reply  to  Lee,  522. 

stands  by  Sherman,  538. 

supplies  Lee's  army  with  rations, 

526. 

Greble,  John  T.,  75. 
Greirson,  Benjamin  H.,  raid  of,  371. 


550 


Index. 


Groveton,  battle  of,  277. 


H. 


Raines's  Bluff,  373. 
Halleck,  Henry  W.,  116,  170. 

chief-of-staff,  427. 

general-in-chief,  270. 
Hampton,  Va.,  burned,  158. 
Hampton,  Wade,  at  Gettysburg,  361. 

in  South  Carolina,  506. 
Hancock,  Winfield  S.,  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  306. 

at  Gettysburg,  354. 

at  Spottsylvania,  433. 

at  Williamsburg,  246. 

in  the  Wilderness,  430. 
Hanover  Court-House,  battle  of,  255. 
Hardee,  J.  W.,  at  Rocky  Face  Moun 
tain,  453. 

at  Savannah,  469. 

evacuates  Charleston,  509. 

joins  Beauregard,  510. 
Harding,  Colonel,  at  Donelson,  336. 
Harney,  William  S.,  86. 
Harold,  conspirator  with  Booth,  537. 
Harper's  Ferry  seized,  54. 
Harriet  Lane,  the,  73. 
Harris,  Rev.  Matthew,  510. 
Harrison's  Landing,  266. 
Hart,  Peter,  41. 
Hartford,  the,  385,  481.    . 
Hatch,  General,  278. 
Hayes,  Alexander,  killed,  430. 
Hazen,  W.  B.,  at  Murfreesboro',  334. 

at  McAllister,  470. 
Heintzleman,  S.  P.,  95,  258. 
Helena,  Ark.,  attacked,  388. 
Hickenlooper,  Colonel,  375. 
Hicks,  Colonel  S.  G.,  416. 
Hill,  A.  P.,  at  Antietam,  296. 

at  Gettysburg,  354. 

at  Harper's  Ferry,  293. 

death  of,  519. 

in  the  Wilderness,  346. 
Hill,  D.  H.,  265. 
Hilton  Head,  166. 
Hoge,  Mrs.,  182. 
Hoke,  R.  F.,  485,  504.  ' 
Holt,  Joseph,  28. 
Hood,  J.  B.,  at  Atlanta,  459. 

at  Franklin,  462. 

at  Gettysburg,  357. 

at  Nashville,  463. 

resigns,  464. 

succeeds  Johnston,  456. 


Hooker,  Joseph  E.,  succeeds   to   the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  341. 

at  Antietam,  297. 

at  Atlanta,  456. 

at  Chattanooga,  404. 

at  Fredericksburg,  343. 

at  Williainsburg,  246. 

wounded,  297. 
Howe,  Daniel,  45. 
Howard,  O.  O.,  at  Chancellorsville, 

at  Fair  Oaks,  260. 

at  Gettysburg,  354. 

succeeds  McPlierson,  458. 

with  Sherman's  army,  505. 
Humphreys,  General,  at   Fredericks- 
burg,  307. 
Hunt,  George,  335. 
Hunter,  David,  93,  115. 

in  Shenandoah  Valley,  443. 

relieves  Sigel,  437. 

transferred  to  the  South,  219. 

transferred  to  the  West,  393. 


Interview  between   Grant   and   Pem- 

berton,  381. 
Irish  brigade,  no. 
Itasca,  the,  480. 
luka,  battle  of,  329. 


Jackson,  C.  F.,  78,  83. 
Jackson,  Miss.,  captured,  373. 
Jackson,  Thomas   J.   (Stonewall),   at 
Bull  Run,  98. 

at  Chancellorsville,  345. 

at  Fredericksburg,  286. 

at  South  Mountain,  294. 

at  Winchester,  251. 

death  of,  346. 

flanks  the  Union  army,  276. 

in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  262. 
Jenkins,  A.  G.,  351. 

killed  in  the  Wilderness,  431. 
Johnson,  Edward,  captured,  434. 
Johnston,  Albert  S.,  at  Corinth,  200. 

death  of,  207. 
Johnston,  Joseph  E.,  at  Atlanta,  456. 

at  Bentonville,  510. 

at  Bull  Run,  95,  96. 

at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  454. 

captured,  464. 

commands    army    at    Vicksburg, 
373- 


Index. 


Johnston,  Joseph  E.,  in  Shenandoah 
Valley,  89. 

relieved,  456. 

retreats  to  Allatoona  Pass,  453. 

succeeds  Bragg,  452. 

surrenders,  539. 

wounded,  261. 
Jouctt,  Captain,  at  Mobile,  481. 


K. 

Kearney,  Philip,  at  Bull  Run,  258. 

at  Chantilly,  281. 

death  of,  281. 

protest  of,  269. 
Kearsarge,  the,  476. 
Kelley,  Benjamin  F.,  84. 
Kenan,  Major  Peter,  345. 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  battle  of,  455. 
Kennebec,  the,  480. 
Keokuk,  the,  392. 
Kernstown,  battle  of,  253,  442. 
Keyes,  General,  257. 
Kilpatrick,  Judson,  assists  Wistar,  427. 

destroys  Macon  Railroad,  459. 

escapes    from    Wade    Hampton, 

510. 
Kilpatrick's   raid   around   Richmond, 

427. 

"  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,"  501. 
Knoxville,  siege  of,  412. 


Lackawana,  the,  480. 
Lady  Davis,  the,  62. 
Laird,  John,  475,  479. 
Lander,  General,  death  of,  252. 
Lawlor,  M.  K.,  375. 
Lawrence,  Kan.,  337. 
Lee,  Custis,  captured,  427. 
Lee,  Robert  E.,  advances  into  Mary 
land,  285. 

and  Johnston  separated,  537. 

a  prisoner,  526. 

asks  for  terms  of  surrender,  521. 

at  Amelia  Court-House,  520. 

at  Antietam,  295. 

at  Chancellorsville,  343. 

at  Cold  Harbor,  436. 

at  Gettysburg,  352. 

at  Spottsylvania,  432. 

beleaguered  at  Petersburg,  516. 

captures  Fort  Steedman,  516. 

commands    Confederate    armies, 


Lee,  Robert    E.,  commands    Confed 
erate  forces  in  Virginia,  150. 

defeated  at  Five  Forks,  518. 

falls  back  to  Richmond,  437. 

in  the  Wilderness,  431. 

on  the  Rappahannock,  275. 

parting  from  his  army,  526. 

recrosses  the  Rapidan,  360. 

surrenders,  522. 
Lee,  S.  D.,  succeeds  Polk,  455. 
Lee,  W.  F.  H.,  captured,  351. 
Leesburg  (Ball's  Bluff),  148. 
Libby  Prison,  495. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  18,  33-37. 

assassination  of,  533. 

cabinet  of,  38. 

calls  for  volunteers,  47. 

inauguration  of,  37,  38. 

inauguration,  second,  516. 

last  speech,  533. 

measures  of,  toward  colored  troops, 
492. 

nominated  the  second  time,  498. 

orders  blockade,  61. 

orders  celebration  at  Sumter,  510. 

orders  McClellan  to  advance,  227. 

platform  of,  498. 

Proclamation     of    Emancipation 
by,  302. 

re-elected,  501. 

sets  apart  a  day  of  thanksgiving, 
410. 

visits  army  at  Antietam,  302. 

visits    army    at    Fredericksburg, 

.343- 

visits  army  at  Harrison's  Landing, 
266. 

visits  City  Point,  530. 

visits  Richmond,  530. 
Lincoln,  Tad,  at  Fredericksburg,  343. 

in  the  White  House,  533. 
Little  rebel,  the,  317. 
Logan,  John  A.,  505. 
Longstreet,  James,  at  Antietam,  296. 

at  Chickamauga,  401. 

at  Gaines's  Mill,  263. 

at  Gettysburg,  357. 

at  Knoxville,  412. 

at  Suffolk,  Va.,  350. 

at  Williamsburg,  246. 

in  the  Wilderness,  430. 
Lookout  Mountain,  408. 
Louisiana,  the,  503. 
Lovell,  Mansfield,  224. 
Lowe,  Professor,  92. 
Lyon,  Nathaniel,  79,  83. 

at  Dug  Springs,  108. 


552 


Index. 


Lyon,  Nathaniel,  at  Wilson's  Creek, 

no. 
Lytle,  William  H.,  at   Chickamauga, 

401. 
at  Perryville,  328. 

M. 

Macon,  Ga  ,515. 
Martit,  John  H.,  479. 
Magoffin,  Governor,  124. 
Magruder,  J.  B.,  at  Hampton,  158. 

at  Yorktown,  241. 

in  "  seven-days'  battles,"  264. 
Malvern  Hills,  battle  of,  266. 
Manassas  evacuated,  228. 

second  battle  of,  276. 
Mansfield,  General,  death  of,  297. 
Marion,  the,  32. 
Marks,  Chaplain,  264. 
Marmaduke,  General,  captured,  421. 
Marshall,  Humphrey,  171. 
Mason,  James  M.,  6,  163. 
McCall,  General,  263. 
McClellan,  George  B.,  84,  88. 

at  Antietam,  295. 

at  South  Mountain,  294. 

before  Yorktown,  241. 

divides  his  army,  228. 

general-in-chief,  158. 

nominated  for  President,  498. 

on  the  Chickahominy,  262. 

on  the  Peninsula,  257. 

platform  of,  498. 

relieved,  229. 

relieved  at  Antietam,  302. 

retreats   to    Harrison's   Landing, 

266. 

McClernand,    John  A.,  at  Donelson, 
179. 

at  Henry,  174. 

at  Vicksburg,  374. 

receives  appointment  to  command 

river  troops,  368. 
McCook,  A.  D.,  333. 
McCook,  Daniel,' 399,  455. 
McCulloch,  Ben,  108,  123. 
McDowell,  Irwin,  88. 

Army  of  Potomac,  under,  95. 

at  Bull  Run,  98. 

in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  255. 

marching-orders  of,  96. 

under  Pope,  272. 
McLaws,  290. 
McLean,  Wilmer,  522. 
McPherson,  James  B.,  at  Atlanta,  458. 

at  Champion  Hills,  374. 


McPherson,  James  B.,  at  Vicksburg, 
382.     • 

brigadier-general  in  regular  army, 
387- 

commands  Army  of  the  Tennes 
see,  451. 

death  of,  458. 

Meade,  George  G.,  at  Cuipeper  Court- 
House,  363. 

at  Fredericksburg,  349. 

at  Gettysburg,  354. 

commands     Army    of    Potomac, 

352- 

seizes  Weldon  Railroad,  440. 
Mechanicsville,  battle  of,  263. 
Memorial  Day,  540. 
Memphis  occupied,  317. 
Merrimac,  the,  229. 
Metacomet,  the,  480. 
Miles,  Colonel  D.  H.,  93,  98. 

death  of,  293. 

Milledgeville,  Ga.,  occupied,  466. 
Millen  prison,  466. 
Milliken's  Bend,  388. 
Milroy,  252,  351. 
Minnesota,  the,  234. 
Missionary  Ridge,  battle  of,  409. 
Mitchel,  O.  M.,  death  of,  388. 

seizes  Huntsville,  Ala  ,  309. 

transferred  to  the  Department  of 

the  South,  388. 
Mobile  Bay,  battle  of,  481. 
Mobile  City  falls,  514. 
Monitor,  the,  230,  391. 
Monongahela,  the,  480. 
Montauk,  the,  391. 
Montgomery,  Ala,  22,  515. 
Morgan,  John  H.,  death  of,  421. 

marriage  of,  332. 

raid  of,  in  Kentucky,  399. 

raid  of,  in  Ohio,  324. 
Mower,  General,  505. 
Mulligan,   James    A.,   at   Lexington, 
no,  113. 

death  of,  442. 

Mumfordsville,  battle  of,  327. 
Murfreesboro',  battle  of,  333. 
Murphy,  Colonel  R.  C.,  329,  368. 


N. 

Nahant,  the,  392. 
Nantucket,  the,  391. 
Nashville,  battle  of,  463. 
Nashville,  the,  destroyed,  391. 
Natchez,  Miss.,  occupied,  317. 


Index. 


553 


Negley,   General,   defends   Nashville, 

'33i- 
Newoerne,  219. 

New  Hope  Church,  battle  of,  454. 

New  Ironsides,  391. 

New  Orleans,  capture  of,  224. 

Newport  News,  71. 

Nichols,  the  telegraph-operator,  259. 

Norfolk  evacuated,  250. 

Northern  Virginia,  Army  of,  526. 


O. 

Octorara,  the,  480. 

"  Old  Abe,"  war  eagle,  383. 

Oneida,  the,  480. 

Opequan  River,  battle  of,  444. 

Ord,  E.  O.  C.,  522. 

Oreto,  the,  479. 

Osterhaus,  P.  J.,  465. 


P. 


Page  (Confederate),  General,  at  Fort 

Morgan,  485. 

Parke,  John  G.,  relieves  Burnside,  440. 
Passaic,  the,  391. 
Patterson,  Robert,  89,  102. 
Paulding,  Hiram,  55. 
Peace  Democrats,  498. 
Pea  Ridge,  battle  of,  198. 
Peck,  J.  J.,  at  Suffolk,  Va.,  350. 
Pegram,  Colonel,  88. 
Pemberton,  John  C.,  331. 

at  Vicksburg,  369. 

surrenders,  382. 
Pepper,  Nathaniel,  400. 
Pensacola,  Fla.,  162. 
Perryville,  battle  of,  328. 
Petersburg  assaulted,  439. 

attacked,  438. 

mine  at,  440. 
Petrel,  the,  62. 

Pettigrew,  General,  at  Gettysburg,  358. 
Phelps,  Colonel   I.    W.,   at    Newport 

News,  71. 

Phelps,  Lieutenant,  Commander,  177. 
Philippi,  battle  of,  84. 
Pickens,  Governor,  32,  39. 
Pickett  at  Gettysburg,  358. 
Pierce,  E.  W.,  71. 
Pike,  Albert,  197. 
Pillow,  General,  179. 
Pittsburg  Landing  (Shiloh),  batUe  of, 
204. 


Pleasant  Hill,  battle  of,  344. 
I'k-asanton  attacks  Stuart,  351. 
Polk,  Bishop  Leonidas,  126-129. 

at  Belmont,  130. 

at  Chickamauga,  402. 

at  Murfreesboro',  332. 

death  of,  455. 
Pope,  John,  123. 

at  Chantilly,  282. 

at  Washington,  270. 

captures  Island  Number  Ten,  194. 

captures  New  Madrid,  193. 

transferred  to  the  West,  282. 
Port  Gibson,  battle  of,  372. 
Port  Hudson,  battle  of,  386. 
Port  Royal,  164-166. 
Porter,  David  D.,  at  Fort  Fisher,  504. 

at  New  Orleans,  223. 

at  Vicksburg,  370,  372. 

in  Red  River  expedition,  418,  420. 
Porter,  Fitz-John,  at  Hanover  Court- 
House,  257. 

dismissed  from  service,  278. 

on  the  Peninsula,  238,  247. 
Potomac,   Army    of    the,    organized, 

9?- 
Prentiss,  B.  M.,  204. 

defends  Helena,  Ark.,  388. 
Price,  Sterling,  80,  83,  117. 

at  Lexington,  no,  113. 

at  \Vilson's  Creek,  109. 

raid  of,  into  Kansas,  421. 

seizes  luka,  329. 
Prices  in  the  South,  492. 
Putnam,  Lieutenant,  149. 


Q- 

Quantrel,    Colonel,    in    Kansas    and 
Missouri,  337. 


R. 

Ransom,  T.  E.  G.,  death  of,  464. 
Rathbone,  H.  R.,  533. 
Raymond,  battle  of,  373. 
Raymond,  Henry  J.,  307. 
Red  River  blockaded,  386. 

expedition,  418. 
Reno,  Jesse  L.,  at  Chantilly,  281. 

death  of,  295. 

Review  of  Union  armies,  540. 
Reward  offered  for  slave,  460. 
Reynolds,  George,  receives  a  gold 

medal,  458. 
Reynolds,  John  F.,  death  of,  354. 


554 


Index. 


Reynolds,  Joseph  J.,  152. 
Rhind,  A.  C.,  503. 
Rich  Mountain,  battle  of,  87. 
Richmond,  fall  of,  520. 
Richmond,  the,  385. 

at  Mobile  Bay,  480. 
Riots  in  New  York,  338. 
Roanoke  Island,  215. 
Rodgers,  John,  captures  the  Atlanta, 

392. 
Rosecrans,  William  S.,  151. 

at  Chattanooga,  400. 

at  Chickamauga,  401. 

at  Corinth,  329. 

at  Murfreesboro',  333. 

follows  Bragg,  456. 

in  West  Virginia,  152. 

succeeds  Buell,  330. 
Rousseau's  raid  in  Alabama,  456. 
Ruffin,  Edmund,  40. 


S. 


Sabine  Cross-roads,  battle  of,  419. 
Sanborn,  General,  routs  Price,  421. 
Sanitary  Commission,  102,  497. 

fair  at  Chicago,  497. 
Santa  Rosa  Island,  161. 
San  Jacinto,  the,  163. 
Savannah,  the,  6. 
Savannah  evacuated,  473. 
St.  Louis,  disturbances  in,  79. 
Schenck,  Robert  E.,  88. 

wounded  at  Manassas,  278. 
Schofield,  John  M.,  at  Franklin,  462. 

at  Goldsboro',  513. 

at  Nashville,  464. 

commands  Department  of  North 
Carolina,  504. 

in  Atlanta  campaign,  451. 
Scott,  William,  140,  244. 
Scott,  Winfield,  48,  71,  149. 
Secession,  Act  of,  22. 
Sedgwick,   John,   at   Fredericksburg, 

.349- 

killed  at  Spottsylvania,  433. 

on  the  Chickahominy,  258. 
Selma,  the,  482. 
Semmes,  Raphael,  captured,  521. 

in  the  Alabama,  475. 
Seven  Pines,  battle  of,  257. 
Seward,  William  H.,  38. 
Seymour,  Freeman,  at  Fort  Wagner, 

393- 

Seymour,  Freeman,  captured,  431. 
defeated  in  Florida,  422. 


Shackleford,  General,  411. 
Shaler,  General,  captured,  431. 
Shaw,  Robert  G.,  killed  at  Fort  Wag 
ner,  393. 

Shenandoah  Valley  laid  waste,  447. 
Sheridan,  Philip  H.,  and  Miss  Wright, 

444; 

and  Stuart,  435. 

at  Appomattox,  ^22. 

at  Booneville,  Miss.,  321. 

at  Chickamauga,  402. 

at  Cold  Harbor,  436. 

at  Five  Forks,  518. 

at  Missionary  Ridge,  409. 

at  Murfreesboro',  333. 

at  Petersburg,  516. 

at  Winchester,  448. 

in  Shenandoah  Valley,  447. 

pursues  Lee,  521. 
Sherman,  Colonel  Frank,  456. 
Sherman,  T.  W.,  at  Hilton  Head,  165. 
Sherman,    William    T.,    at    Atlanta, 
460. 

at  Bull  Run,  97. 

at  Chattanooga,  403. 

at  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  368. 

at  Columbia,  509. 

at  Knoxville,  412. 

at  Memphis,  367. 

at  Meridian  campaign,  415. 

at  Raleigh,  537. 

at  Savannah,  473. 

at  Shiloh,  204. 

at  St.  Louis,  170. 

at  Vicksburg,  376. 

censured,  538. 

closes  in  around  Atlanta,  459. 

enters  Goldsboro',  513. 

in  Kentucky,  129. 

offers  terms  to  Johnston,  537. 

signal  from,  to  Corse,  461. 

telegram  to  Lincoln,  473. 

visits  Lincoln  at  City  Point,  513. 
Shields,    General,    succeeds    Lander 

252. 

Shiloh,  battle  of,  207. 
Sickles,  Daniel,  at  Gettysburg,  357. 
Sibley,  H.  H.,  133. 
Sigel,  Franz,  at  Carthage,  104. 

at  St.  Louis,  80. 

at  Wilson's  Creek,  113. 

under  Pope,  269. 
Slemmer,  Adam,  46. 
Slidell,  John,  163. 
Slocum,  H.  W.,  at  Bentonville,  510. 

succeeds  Hooker,  458. 
Smith,  A.  J.,  at  Tupelo,  417. 


Index. 


555 


Smith,  A.  J.,  joins  Thomas,  463. 
Smith,  C.  F .,  and  Grant,  200. 

at  Donelson,  179. 

at  Fort  Henry,  174. 
Smith,  E.  Kirby,  at  Bull  Run,  98. 

in  Kentucky,  324. 

succeeds  Canby,  539. 
Smith,  W.  F.,  at  Petersburg,  438. 
Soldiers'  monuments,  540. 
Spottsylvania,  battle  of,  433. 
Springfield,  Mo.,  120. 
Stanley,  D.  S.,  336,  463. 
Stanton,  Edwin  M.,  226. 
Star  of  the  West,  the,  31. 
"Starvation  Club"  in  Richmond,  492. 
Steedman,  at  Chickamauga,  402. 

at  Nashville,  463. 
Steele,  F.,  in  Arkansas,  420,  458. 

at  Mobile,  514. 

Steward,  George  H.,  captured,  434. 
Stevens,  Alexander  H.,  22. 

captured  and  released,  539. 
Stone,  C.  P.,  at  Ball's  Bluff,  147. 
Stone  fleet,  169. 

Stoneman,  George,  captures  Salisbury, 
N.C.,  514. 

raid  of,  around  Atlanta,  459. 

raid  of,  behind  Lee,  349. 
Stonewall,  the,  479. 
Streight,  A.  D.,  captured,  336. 

escapes,  427. 
Stringham,  Silas  H.,  158. 
Strong,  George  C.,  391. 
Strong,  William  E.,  382,  458. 
Stuart,  J. E.  B.,at  Catlett's  Station, 275. 

at  Chambersburg,  302. 

at  Chancellorsville,  348. 

at  Culpeper  Court-House,  351. 

death  of,  435. 
Sturgis,  General,  at  Guntown,  417. 

at  Wilson's  Creek,  109. 
Sumner,  E.  V.,  at  Antietam,  297. 

at  Fair  Oaks,  258. 

at  Fredericksburg,  306. 

death  of,  341. 

transferred  to  the  West,  341. 
Sumter,  attack  on,  40. 

bombardment  of,  392. 

removal  to,  26. 

surrender  of,  42. 
Swamp  Angel,  the,  394. 
Swayne,  Wager,  505. 
Sweet,  B.  J.,  at  Camp  Douglas,  501. 


T. 
Tatnell,  Josiah,  166. 


Taylor,  Dick,  387,  464. 
Tecumseh,  the,  481. 
Tennessee,  the,  482. 
Terry,  Alfred  H.,  captures  Fort  Fish 
er,  504. 
Thomas,  George  H.,  172. 

at  Chattanooga,  451. 

at  Chickamauga,  401. 

in  Kentucky,  328. 

in  Murfreesboro',  333. 

in  Nashville,  463. 

succeeds  Rosecrans,  403. 
Thompson,  Secretary,  26,  31. 
Thompson,  Jack,  scout,  458. 
Thompson,  Jeff.,  130. 
Tigress,  the,  371. 

Tilghman,  Lloyd,  at  Fort  Henry,  174. 
Toucey,  Secretary,  25. 
Tower,  General,  at  Manassas,  278. 
Trent,  the,  163. 
Turner's  Gap,  battle  of,  294. 
Twiggs,  General,  46. 
Tyler,  E.  B.,  93-95. 
Tyler,  John,  country  house,  73. 


U. 


Union  flag,  66. 


Van  Dorn,  at  Corinth,  330. 

at  Holly  Springs,  367. 

at  luka,  329. 

relieved,  331. 

Verses  found  on  a  battle-field,  491. 
Vicksburg  bombarded,  317. 

siege  of,  379. 

surrenders,  382. 
Vienna,  88. 
Virginia  secedes,  54. 


W. 

Wabash,  the,  165. 

Wachusett,  the,  479. 

Wade,  Jennie,  362. 

Wadsworth,  death  of,  430. 

Wagner,  Fort,  bombarded,  393. 

Walke,  Captain,  no,  178. 

Walker,  General,  at  Milliken's  Bend, 

388. 

Wallace,  W.  H.  L.,  at  Shiloh,  207. 
Wallace,  Lewis,  at  Donelson,  178. 
at  Henry,  174. 


556 


Index. 


Wallace,  Lewis,  at  Shiloh,  207. 

defends  Cincinnati,  324. 
Warren,  G.  K.,  in  the  Wilderness,  430. 
Washington  attacked  by  Early,  449. 

threatened,  52. 
Weehawken,  391,  394. 
Weitzel,  Godfrey,  at  Fort  Fisher,  502. 

enters  Richmond,  520. 
Welles,  Gideon,  38. 
Wessells,  Henry  W.,  at  Plymouth,  485. 
West  Virginia,  84. 
White  House,  Va.,  257. 
White,  Julius,  succeeds  Miles,  293. 
Whiting,  General,  captured,  504. 
Wigfall,  41. 
Wilderness,  the,  503. 
Wilder,  T.  J.,  at  Mumfordsville,  327. 
Wilkes,  Charles,  163. 
Williams,  A.  S.,  370. 

death  of,  318. 

Williamsburg,  battle  of,  246. 
Wrinslow,  Captain  John  E.,  476. 
Wilson,   James    H.,  captures    Davis, 

539- 

defeats  Forrest,  515. 
Wilson's  Creek,  battle  of,  106. 
Wrinder,  John  H.,  496. 


Winthrop,  Major  Theodore,  71,  75. 
Wirz,  Henry,  496. 
Wise,  Henry  A.,  152. 
Wistar,  General,  427. 
Wright,  Miss  Rebecca,  444. 
Wright,  Horatio  G.,  at  Cedar  Creek, 
448. 

succeeds  Sedgwick,  433. 
Women  of  Gettysburg,  357. 

of  the  South,  492. 
Wool,  John  E.,  158. 
Worden,  John  L.,  237. 

destroys  the  Nashville,  388. 


Y. 

Yorktown,  siege  of,  241. 


Zacharias,  Rev.  Dr.,  289. 
Zagonyi,  Major,  120. 
Zollicoffer,  General,  130. 
Zouaves,  66,  161. 


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